Wind of Change? It seems we’re becalmed.

In May of 2009 I asked whether there would be a wind farm on Lake Erie off of Cleveland soon. But it seems we’re stuck between environmental roadblocks on one side and free-market enthusiasts who oppose any governmental subsidies on the other. So far, all we have is repeated “news” that a Lake Erie wind farm “is in the works.” And, inevitably, opposition to Lake Erie wind farms has arisen. So it shouldn’t be a huge surprise that Salon reports today:

You could not ask for a more drastic demonstration of the contrast between how the United States and China are rolling out renewable energy technologies than the current state of offshore windmill deployment in the two countries.

The U.S. does not have a single offshore windmill currently in operation.

China, of course, is “charging ahead.” And while the Chinese don’t bother with things like environmental and economic regulations that otherwise would limit what they are doing, Salon emphasizes that the important point to notice is that “[s]lowly but surely, the West is losing its long-held domination of the technological high ground.” In short, “[w]hen research and development migrates from one country to another, so does innovation.” I can’t help but second Salon’s conclusion:

The strategic imperative is simply overwhelming. The struggle over energy policy shouldn’t be seen as a culture war between environmentalists and free-market fundamentalists. It should be a matter of basic common sense — do we want to be involved with making the future, or just buy it from China?