I think it remarkable how this discussion spun out of control by misunderstanding the original post. And this is a group that is supposed to be analysing new science in a meaningful way.
The original post was about mapping the wind at various parts of the globe and estimating the energy contecnt of that airflow, noting that extraction of a few percent of it would satisfy man's needs. Not bad, something well worth noting. This is a non-trivial datum. There has been a separate discussion about wind towers, very high structures intended to generate forceful updrafts at almost any location. This has little to do with the wind energy map, which indicates places to put windmill farms, a wholly different technology. It was millions of windmills, not millions of wind towers. As for distance from population centers, so are hydroelectric dams whose power is distributed for hundreds of miles. Mike Carrell
