Even from rooftops, Ocean City wind turbines would be hard to see

Your editorial on the wind turbines being proposed off Ocean City made many excellent points in their favor, but one important fact has been left out of this monthslong debate (“For proposed Ocean City project, bigger can be better,” Nov. 22).

As The Sun’s editorial board notes, at the currently suggested distance of 17 miles, the turbines would appear tiny on the horizon, so therefore they should not spoil anyone’s view. That last bit is certainly true because for a person standing on the beach, the horizon (the distance beyond which we cannot see) is about 3 miles away. Atmospheric light refraction on warm days makes the distance to the horizon even shorter (and longer on cold days).

Someone standing on the roof of a condominium might, just might, be able to see 17 miles on a cold day. The turbines would definitely appear tiny in that circumstance. The entire argument about a blighted view is a non-issue.

James Hershey, Essex

The writer is on the biology faculty at the Community College of Baltimore CountyEssex.