The folks who are opposed to the windmills are usually opposed to them for aesthetic reasons, which seem pretty damn superficial when compared to the cost paid by the planet and consumers for fossil fuels and nuclear. That, and in the rural areas of Ireland and Britain especially, where opposition seems strongest, people just plain don't like change.

I think difficulties and expense of long term maintenance at sea will ultimately defeat those sorts of projects.

But I do favor the electricity being generated by wind farms being used locally, and not shipped via high voltage power lines to the cities, suburbs, and industrial parks.