Spain's Wind Towns Are Thriving

"When the town's wind farms were first built, more than 25 years ago, 'this was seen as futuristic,' she told me. She was just 23 years old then, and it was the largest wind farm in Europe, the second largest in the world. Since that time, she said, she has come to believe that renewable-energy projects can save a dying town, as long as it has a guiding role in their implementation."

"In the United States, views on renewable-energy projects are fraught. Adoption has been exponential; so has resistance. Last year, President Trump signed a bill that gutted support for projects, and he holds a particular animus toward wind power. Efforts to shut down renewable-energy projects are under way in every state except Alaska."

"Communities object to renewables for a variety of reasons, researchers from MIT found-including concerns about public and environmental health, diminished property values, and lack of public participation-and that opposition can prioritize such values even over possible economic gain."

Castilla-La Mancha in Spain has become a hub for wind energy development, with giant turbines now dominating the landscape where Don Quixote once tilted at windmills. Mayor Isabel Martínez Arnedo of Higueruela describes how the region's first wind farm, built over 25 years ago, was Europe's largest and the world's second largest at the time. She believes renewable-energy projects can revitalize declining rural towns when communities maintain active roles in their implementation. This contrasts sharply with the United States, where renewable-energy adoption faces significant resistance despite exponential growth. American communities object to renewables citing health concerns, property value impacts, and insufficient public participation. Spain, meanwhile, has doubled its wind and solar capacity over six years while substantially reducing gas power dependence.

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