# Would you rather massive wind farms off the coasts or oil drilling platforms? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 27, 2010, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-massive-wind-farms-off-the-coasts-or-oil-drilling-platforms/540989 "2010-05-27T20:14:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-massive-wind-farms-off-the-coasts-or-oil-drilling-platforms/540989/21 "2010-05-28T18:28:31Z")
I understand comparing wind turbines to oil rigs is like comparing apples to a side of beef, but that is not really the point of the original question. Fossil fuels will be around for along, long time, but I don’t believe they will be consumed at the rate they are today for more than a couple centuries to come. Over the next 5 years I am going to try and get off grid as much as I can with wind and solar and maybe a small geothermal rig under the house. An experiment of sorts perhaps it’ll catch on and become cheaper and easier to do in that time…one can hope. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-massive-wind-farms-off-the-coasts-or-oil-drilling-platforms/540989/22 "2010-05-28T19:47:40Z")
Some claim that the windmills are deadly for birds. But I still prefer them to oil rigs. There is, however, [another](http://xkcd.com/556/) problem with windmills. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-massive-wind-farms-off-the-coasts-or-oil-drilling-platforms/540989/23 "2010-05-28T19:59:02Z")
> [@Hypno-Toad](#): > > Some claim that the windmills are deadly for birds. But I still prefer them to oil rigs. > There is, however, [another](http://xkcd.com/556/) problem with windmills. Awesome. 😃 As for the birds, they will adapt their flight patterns. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Dave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/46a35a/32.png) [@Great\_Dave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Dave)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-massive-wind-farms-off-the-coasts-or-oil-drilling-platforms/540989/24 "2010-05-28T20:43:33Z")
Turbines are responsible for 0.003% of bird kills. [http://birds.fws.gov/mortalityfact-sheet.pdf](http://birds.fws.gov/mortalityfact-sheet.pdf) sheet.pdf If you are truly concerned about bird kills, you should by trapping and fixing feral cats, and boycotting companies in those all-glass buildings, not opposing wind farms. In fact, the Audubon Society has come out in favor of them- global warming is a much bigger threat to birds. ---
**Author:** ![palacheck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a88e57/32.png) [@palacheck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/palacheck)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-massive-wind-farms-off-the-coasts-or-oil-drilling-platforms/540989/25 "2010-05-29T07:00:58Z")
I’ve never really looked into windmills and how many are needed for x amount of power. I have no problem with windmills as long as 1. They don’t take up thousands upon thousands of acres of pristine wilderness, and 2. They don’t cause a lot of noise pollution. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-massive-wind-farms-off-the-coasts-or-oil-drilling-platforms/540989.md?page=1)