Some people think so...that's why Talisman Energy Inc. is rethinking how they construct and build wind turbines. There was a good article yesterday in the WSJ about Talisman's efforts to build wind turbines 15 miles off the coast of Scotland...an effort that will take at least another 7 or 8 years and hundreds of millions of dollars. Building further out in the ocean requires deep-water wind-farm technology due to the increased ocean depth (technology similar to that used for building oil rigs). Many people don't want to see wind turbines a few hundred feet from their coast...however, critics claim that the deep-water wind farms will encroach on shipping lanes and are too expensive (i.e., building the infrastructure to hook the turbine up to the grid). I can see both sides of the argument but I think that I would be more in favor of deep-water building if the costs could be controlled in the long-term. Scotland is definitely taking a long position on the renewable energy sector, hoping to defer the large initial capital expense over many years. Article link here.