Wind Power Project Killed in Fayette County, Pennsylvania

Delmarva Power is telling us that it can buy renewable energy cheaper from out of state. All well and good, but the company won't be buying it from Fayette County, Pennsylvania anytime soon. The Herald-Standard reports that the county zoning board last week voted against a relatively small project:

The Fayette County Zoning Hearing Board has unanimously denied a special exception request that would have allowed the construction of 18 wind-powered turbines in Georges and Springhill townships.

If it's this hard to put up 18 turbines, where will Delmarva find the energy that would be generated by 150 turbines? Wharton Township, which has its own zoning board, previously approved construction of six turbines. Now, if we could get 24 more townships to approve similar projects, we could find 150 turbines to replace Bluewater Wind's proposal. Or could we?
First, onshore wind turbines (at least those east of west Texas) tend to generate less power than offshore turbines, which is why more expensive offshore wind power is worth the capital investment. So Delmarva Power would have to find more than 150 turbines to replace the Bluewater project.
Second, Delaware isn't the only state that has adopted higher renewable energy portfolio standards. Delaware's standard is set to rise to 20 percent. This energy has to come from somewhere, and utilities around the country will be competing for this scarce resource. I for one would rather have our energy provided here in Delaware at a fixed rate rather than come from out of state, given that prices will be determined by a growing demand chasing a limited supply.