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Depends on where they are. They don't belong in Yosemite, or peppered on & around Mt Shasta. They'd be pretty awful if they carpeted the entire Great Plains.

Depends on where they are. They don't belong in Yosemite, or peppered on & around Mt Shasta. They'd be pretty awful if they carpeted the entire Great Plains. But, in isolated groups, I agree they can look pretty cool when set against a barren landscape. They're also a source of light pollution at night, an army of distant flashing red lights. Definitely put a damper on the Perseid shower when I went out into the Plains for skygazing.

LeifCarrotson 10y ago
> They'd be pretty awful if they carpeted the entire Great Plains. They pretty much do in many areas. And yes, the lights are the worst part. I think the risk of striking a windmill in the Great Plains is low enough that they could probably remove the lights in many areas. Some better options than brilliant lights shining into the sky in all directions: 1. Use aircraft transponders to turn on lights selectively. 2. Establish a minimum flight level in wind farms, and provide pilots with locations of the towers in the event of an emergency descent. 3. Install reflectors to ensure that the lights are only visible from very far away on the ground. This doesn't solve the light pollution problem, and it's only really useful for pilots above the lights who don't need to worry. 4. Install reflectors to ensure that the lights are only visible below the level of the tower. This would improve the light pollution situation with regards to astronomy, but probably make it worse for viewers. 5. Network the lights so they fade in and out synchronously, rather than random noisy blinking.
- trhway 10y ago
  >5. Network the lights so they fade in and out synchronously, rather than random noisy blinking. or so that they would follow some "visual symphony" or make some other nice image or may be spell some marketing phrase visible from distance/space/planes

LeifCarrotson 10y ago

> They'd be pretty awful if they carpeted the entire Great Plains. They pretty much do in many areas. And yes, the lights are the worst part. I think the risk of striking a windmill in the Great Plains is low enough that they could probably remove the lights in many areas. Some better options than brilliant lights shining into the sky in all directions: 1. Use aircraft transponders to turn on lights selectively. 2. Establish a minimum flight level in wind farms, and provide pilots with locations of the towers in the event of an emergency descent. 3. Install reflectors to ensure that the lights are only visible from very far away on the ground. This doesn't solve the light pollution problem, and it's only really useful for pilots above the lights who don't need to worry. 4. Install reflectors to ensure that the lights are only visible below the level of the tower. This would improve the light pollution situation with regards to astronomy, but probably make it worse for viewers. 5. Network the lights so they fade in and out synchronously, rather than random noisy blinking.

trhway 10y ago
>5. Network the lights so they fade in and out synchronously, rather than random noisy blinking. or so that they would follow some "visual symphony" or make some other nice image or may be spell some marketing phrase visible from distance/space/planes