"Sunreader"'s comments are overblown.

Modern wind turbines have had near-zero impacts on bird populations; the new large blades turn slowly and are visible to birds. Wind power is one of the cheapest energy sources of all types.

Solar thermal power plants, when built using dry cooling, use very little water (under 20 gallons/MWh versus about 2000 gal/MWh for coal plants). Land? If somewhere in Nevada's 110,000 square miles we could find 100 square miles -- .09% of Nevada land, a small fraction of that currently in use in mining -- we could generate all of Nevada's current electricity use, forever.

There's work to be done, to be sure. Power plants don't build themselves. Let's get to it.