I am also interested in other kinds of energy economies. I always wondered about the real total costs of wind energy, from manufacturing to installation, to power distribution; and maybe other hidden costs. The sites you quote are specifically created to be negative about wind energy. I have no doubt that the industry is overstating it.
I too have always been curious about the true economies of wind energy. Sticking with this paragraph, and avoiding anecdotal examples, has anyone encountered a solid economic analysis of wind energy - from depreciation, to maintenance, to efficiency, etc, etc....? I have seen the wind farms in the remote areas of California and to an engineer's eye they seem very prone to mechanical failure - three large blades hanging off a relatively small generator. The stress on the mechanical parts must be enormous. I can't believe they have a life span of over 5 years without major overhaul.
As much as we complain about the cost of electricity, most of that cost is used to distribute and maintain the electrical grid. Any machine must produce an awful lot of electricity before it pays for itself, even if the fuel costs are zero.
As far as integrating into the electrical grid, I always assumed wind energy would be used to supply a small fraction of the total electrical generation capacity in a grid. For example, if a wind farm had the potential to generate 10% of the grid's energy supply, then the fluctuation of plus or minus 10% could be adjusted from alternative sources.
I suppose another alternative would be to dedicate the wind energy to some use that could accommodate an interpretable, variable supply of electricity. Pumping drinking water into reservoirs is one obvious answer but I suppose industry (or agriculture) could use an interpretable source as well.
Basically, I'd like to see a reliable, complete analysis of wind energy - and how it could fit into the existing electrical supply system.