The problem?

Dunkelberger believes Pennsylvania suffers from NIMBY-ism.

"Not in my backyard," Dunkelberger said. "That's the philosophy."

Considering companies like Dunkelberger's rely almost entirely on leasing private land to install their wind turbines, public disapproval can pose a significant challenge.

Brendlinger said he thinks residents will eventually come around.

"There certainly is some NIMBY-ism out there, but once Pennsylvanians realize the importance of wind energy ... I think they'll be OK," he said.

Eventually, if wind energy promoters like Texas' T. Boone Pickens -- who invested $58 million of his own money into wind infrastructure -- have their way, everyone will soon be used to turbines lining the landscape.

Leader U.S. has a ways to go

Growth of wind energy in the U.S. outstrips the rest of the world, and, according to Dunkelberger, the U.S. has utilized less than 1 percent of its total wind capacity.

A part of that is because it's not easy to put a summer breeze to work in, say, your electric toothbrush. Companies can and do spend years studying a single area, measuring wind direction and power, factoring in logistics, infrastructure and environmental concerns. In fact, the initial goal of studying a particular site is to debunk its usefulness, according to Penn Wind Due Diligence expert Rob Irwin.

"It's easier to eliminate sites by which ones wouldn't be feasible," he said. "You try to break a project down, and only after you've tried every angle to shoot it down do you move forward."

Even if a site stands up, like Penn Wind's East Cameron property, it can take up to five years to go from the research to the results phase.

And in terms of what wind power may mean to land owners, the answer may be -- unless you're the one writing the lease, in which case you generally stand to make around $3,000 per turbine on your land per year -- not much.

No effect on property values

The Renewable Energy Policy Project in 2003 did a comprehensive study and found wind turbines have little effect on property value. In the commonwealth, it found wind energy projects in Fayette and Somerset counties did nothing to change property values.