Green Daily

One of the outreach programs that the National Renewable Energy Laboratories is rolling out to try to sway opinion is the Wind for Schools Project. Putting wind turbines up at rural schools is a pretty well-conceived outreach program, and while the educational benefits of these are probably good -- schools aren't traditionally a place where people are worried about the view.

Lots of communities are worried about being duped, noise pollution and -- of course -- visual pollution. Basically, when it comes to putting up a wind turbine on your property, or in your neighbor's backyard -- it may not seem like such a great idea. It's all about perception. Basically, what this all boils down to is this: 20% by 2030 is going to require one of the biggest PR campaigns in history.

Wind developers are going to have to be extremely good at teaming up with key decision-makers in rural areas. If you're going into the wind sales business, you might want to invest in a cowboy hat and a pair of Wranglers, because you're going to need to get really involved with the community to help them see the possibilities clearly. Because the key fears -- like noise, turbine failure, and lower land values -- are already in focus.