The wind-whipped moors of Scotland are rich in history, so associated with ancient battles, legendary figures, and Celtic folklore that they have an almost mystic quality. Now a Scottish moor is making history again, as the site of Europe’s largest onshore wind farm, Whitelee Wind Farm, was officially completed on May 20th, 2009. It consists of 140 wind turbines spread out across 34 square miles of Eaglesham Moor, white giants waving their arms above blanket bogs and rugged hills dotted with heather. It is only twelve miles south of Glasgow, Scotland’s largest city, which makes energy produced at Whitelee especially efficient. Currently, it can produce up to 322 MW of electricity, enough to power 180,000 homes and offset 500,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions a year.

But the clean, renewable energy created at Whitelee Wind Farm is not the only way it has benefited Scotland. Executives at ScottishPower Renewables, part of the Iberdrola Group, made a decision early on: instead of just minimizing the environmental impact the construction of the wind farm would have on the moor, they would work with the Scottish Natural Heritage and the Forestry Commission to preserve and enhance the biodiversity of the area, improving conditions for native plants and wildlife. The even built “floating” roads that do not disrupt the bogs.

There have been financial benefits, as well. Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond stated that, “During its initial construction, the wind farm employed more than 500 people and ploughed GBP300 million investment directly into the Scottish economy. The benefits of this investment go beyond East Renfrewshire and beyond our real economy. It is an investment in Scotland’s potential and ambition to lead the clean, green energy revolution.”

“Whitelee is a milestone in the history of Scotland, not only representing the largest wind farm in Europe but also one of the largest in the world… Iberdrola is committed to helping Scotland and the UK fully realize its renewable energy potential as we seek to create wealth and prosperity through our investments and local procurement, and also by creating jobs.”

As a source of clean, renewable energy, wind has many advantages. The first and most obvious is that wind is free. It is not a commodity likely to wreak havoc on other sectors of the economy when used to produce energy, as products like corn did. And harnessing wind has no negative impact on the environment, after the initial emissions of carbon dioxide used in the creation of the turbine.

Another benefit is that wind turbines take up very little ground space, allowing the land to be left in its natural state or used for whatever purpose it was before. In America, many farmers supplement their income by allowing power companies to place wind turbines in their fields, or by purchasing the turbines themselves and selling the energy back to the power company. The white giants have become a familiar sight in many mid-western farming communities.

Of course, wind can only generate energy when it is blowing, which makes relying entirely on wind energy impractical, if not impossible. The other drawbacks to wind energy are mainly aesthetic; some people just don’t like the way they look, and think they ruin the landscape. And they are noisy. One large wind turbine makes about the same amount of noise as a car going 70 mph.

But none of those are large concerns on the Scottish moor. The government recently approved a plan to add 40 more wind turbines to Whitelee, which would produce half-again as much energy and create another 300 green collar jobs. For Scotland, wind energy has already proved to be a good for the moors, the workers, and the local and national economy. And that’s not even taking the environmental benefits into consideration.