In the push to stop global warming, many experts are hearing a mighty rushing wind.

Clean and abundant wind power in vast stretches of America is not only far cheaper than solar, but as oil prices soar, it's proving to be less expensive than natural gas, a prime source of the nation's power.

At present, wind provides only 1 percent of U.S. electricity, but a federal report predicts the wind could be providing 20 percent of American power by 2030.

"Wind is ready to go, " says Christine Real de Azua of the American Wind Energy Association.

But perhaps not in Florida. Though pleasant breezes sweep in from the ocean, several experts say the quality and location of those winds make it difficult, if not impossible, to generate much wind power here at a reasonable cost.

Florida Power & Light, whose parent is the largest supplier of wind power in the nation, insisted for years it wouldn't build a wind farm in Florida because the state's breezes weren't strong enough. That changed last year when, under pressure from Gov. Charlie Crist and the public to move toward green energy, the utility announced plans for a small wind project near the Atlantic coast in St. Lucie County.

That effort has been mired in zoning disputes with neighbors who do not want their coastal skyline marred by windmills as tall as 40-story buildings. What's more, the strength of St. Lucie winds is less than half that of major wind farms in the American West.

"The power it's going to produce is so tiny, " complains Julie Zahniser of the Save St. Lucie Alliance. "It's political. Governor Crist wants to be seen as this green Republican, and FPL wants to make him happy. . . . The wind hasn't changed. The technology hasn't changed."

Ryan Wiser, a renewable-energy expert at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, says a project with St. Lucie-strength winds would not be attempted in the West. "Why would you pick a place like the Southeast?"

Still, as oil and gas prices soar and Americans become more concerned about global warming, wind is now often viewed as the great savior. Vast stretches of the West -- particularly the Plains States and Texas -- now have fields of huge wind turbines that stretch for miles.

"It took us three generations to get the bugs out, " says Bob Thresher, director of the National Wind Technology Center in Colorado. The turbines kept getting bigger, the parts turning with less friction. Costs to produce a kilowatt hour of power dropped from 40 or 50 cents per kilowatt-hour in the 1980s to today's 6 to 9 cents/kwh, not counting the tax subsidies.

CHEAPER THAN SOLAR

Wiser at Lawrence Berkeley says wind energy now costs roughly a third to half the cost of solar, factoring in the tax credits for each.

The California Energy Commission calculated last year that wind in top locations could produce power for 6.7 cents/kwh, compared with 9.6 cents/kwh for a natural gas plant. These wind prices, which include all construction and maintenance costs, seem more attractive in light of today's energy market. In the past year, natural gas prices have soared by 32 percent, according to FPL, meaning wind power in good locations might be about half the price of natural gas.

The best place for wind is North Dakota, according to the American Wind Energy Association. No. 2 is Texas, followed by Kansas, South Dakota and Montana. (Florida is not in the top 20.)

LOCATION, TIMING

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