Atop a 3,366-foot Appalachian ridge, wind bent the uppermost branches of the trees as the blades of 387-foot-tall wind turbines whirled above them Thursday.
Against the blue, cloud-studded sky, the blades looked as if they were moving slowly. But the whoosh of wind as one turbine spun gave a clue to their true speed: about 150 mph, said David Dehart, a representative of the Tennessee Valley Authority, leading a tour of Buffalo Mountain, which is for now the only wind farm in the Southeast.
That unique status may soon change. Developers have been conducting wind studies all over Alabama, including at Turkey Heaven Mountain in Cleburne County and at Shinbone Ridge in Cherokee and Etowah counties, to see if wind farms would be a good fit in the state.
Since news came out that a developer is exploring Cleburne County as a possible site for a wind energy project, some residents have campaigned against it. They and others who are curious about the project have packed Cleburne County Commission meetings to ask questions or make their feelings known.