Wind power...what a joke!

[Jeff]

Next time we go to the cabin, if at all possible, I'm going to stop by the two running in St. Ignace and try and get as close as possible so as I can listen and experience it for myself. I'll take the camera to record it as well.  You sure cant hear then driving by on the expressway. The noise from US127 has to be louder then wind turning those blades.

[Radar67]

How many of those same people (against the windmills because of noise) run a ceiling fan, box fan, or central air and heat fan in their own home? Seems to me they put out more noise than a windmill. As for the view, to each his own. I would much rather look at a windmill than to pay higher electrical utility costs.

[Paul_H]

While we were in southern Ontario last year,we were out for a drive and I spotted these windmills from a distance and drove toward them for miles before getting near them.I like the idea of wind energy and was keen to get up close but I can appreciate resistance to them too.When they appear at a distance over the tree tops,they catch your eye because they look like a plane crash in progress the way the props move.It reminds me of a plane flipping over,and over,and over..... :

I would think the shadows could drive a person to distraction too.I read somewhere that "as much as depends on you,live peaceably with your neighbours" and I think that is a good policy no matter who your neighbours are or what they do.It would help the wind power cause if money was put aside a little bit and the visual impact could be considered.
I want to see more set up but I'd be lying through my teeth if I said that I'm behind them 100%

[SwampDonkey]

It's just the same old "not in my back yard" syndrome. I live beside 28 of them and my woodlot buts up against the hill they sit on. I have never lost any sleep yet and I can barely hear their whisp in the wind when I'm on the back of the woodlot. Sure it has changed the view, but the leaves still turn every fall.  They don't interfere with my TV or radio reception at all. There has to be about 6 transmission towers up there of all sorts.  And I would like to see any evidence of a bat on the top of a 2200 foot hill with no water. Nobody paid me a dime to write this message or live with windmills. ;D

[TexasTimbers]

Communities, families, people in general have always had no lack of divisive issues. It's not the windmills themselves but the fact that when 2 or more groups of people have differening interests, and cannot find any reasonable compromise, then you'll have wrangling over who has the "right" to do, or prevent, or whatever the issue is.

The windmill debate will rarely be solved amicably because as long as someone can hear them, who does not want to hear them, they will have that constant whirring (whining) reminder that "they lost", and no one don't likes to lose. the same debate ofver airports has raged for 4 decades. DFW airport, just like Kennedy and O'Hare and every other major airport has fought multi-million dollar noise pollution suits from local communities. In Japan they build manmade island to put their airports on. And when they start sinking into the bay, they sink another 100 million into delaying the total submergence by a couple decades longer.

We have a close neighbor now about 1000 feet away behind the treeline whom we can't see, but their security light has ruined our nightime view of the stars. I have not approached him yet, but I am going to discuss it with him. I have thought of several options that I think would be suitable to them and us, and I am going to offer to do everything of course. If he doesn't accept any of my proposals I will think it very unreasonable, but I can choose to be sour about it, or I can decide to be a good neighbor anyway. I guarantee I will choose the latter because I dislike bad blood between neighbors much more than I need to see a pitch black sky once in a while.  Besides, once he starts hearing a bunch of "whirring" over here, he may have something he needs to approach me about. :

[Fla._Deadheader]

The problem is, the 10-15 RPM's of the blades, creates a WHOOSH, whoosh, whoosh, etc. It's not a steady noise like a house fan.

  I could imagine shadows being an issue, but, the sun DOES move across the sky, or vice-versa.  : :

[Jeff]

creates a WHOOSH, whoosh, whoosh, etc.

Kinda like those other repetitive noises out there. Like waves hitting a shore.

[Fla._Deadheader]

Exactly. Drives some folks crazy.  : : : ;D

[TexasTimbers]

Exactly. And provides a drug-free, peaceful, deep sleep for others. ;D

[Fla._Deadheader]

Exactly, like rain falling on a Tin roof.  : ;D :D :D

[TexasTimbers]

Precisely. Like the smell of napalm in the morning. Smells like . . . victory. :D

[TexasTimbers]

I have not mentioned it but our county is one of 5 vying for the next big wind farm in this part of north Texas. I don't know all the details yet. I guess the young Yancey who is so tore up about his predicament, would be infuriated to discover that here in Fannin County, an area of the country with FAR lower living expenses than his own upstate New York, we are being offered several thousand dollars more per year, per unit, than what they got.

Here's a quote from the article that ran in our local e-rag on Aug 4th.

"Fannin County is one of five sites being considered for a wind farm by an Austin, Texas firm.  GreenHunter WindEnergy is looking over 5,000 to 10,000 acres as a potential location to develop two 60-90 KW wind farms. 

Several factors make the Fannin County location attractive. 

GreenHunter WindEnergy seems to be finding enough appropriate land available and the site's proximity to the Metroplex makes the project more viable.  Another plus is that the Fannin County location would be in the ERCOT grid where the need is most critical.  In addition, transmission lines already dissect one area that GreenHunter WindEnergy is considering.

Fannin County agriculturist Nathan Melson points out there are four other potential sites in Texas that are competing for this wind farm. 

Each wind turbine would sit on an 80-acre plot and landowners believe they would be offered a 30-year contract that would pay them approximately $10,000-$15,000 per year for each wind turbine.   In addition, the $2 million turbines would offer a noticeable boost the county and school tax rolls.

"

[Haytrader]

TT,

You reminded me of the "whoosh whoosh whoosh" sound I welcomed a long time ago.
It was the sound of DanG Hueys coming to pluck us out of the jungle for a few days.

There are more and more windmills going up around here. They are a cash cow for the land owner and I have never heard one complaint. BUT, we do not have the population as many of you do so there are not as many people living close to them. Most of the electricity from around here is sent to more populated areas.
It would be my assumption that investors would want to build windmill farms close to population to lower the transportation cost. So, all the Yancy's just better get used to them.
:-\

[farmerdoug]

It seems to me that the sons need to remember that the dads still own the land.  One threaten to disown him if they put one in his 'field'. :  I bet they would still be there with their hands out after the funeral.  If I was their dad I would leave them out of the will. :(

[TexasTimbers]

farmerdoug that was my thought too exactly. Not sure I would leave him out of the will, but if he didn't come to his senses in a reasonable timjeframe after his irrational reaction I might agree with that too.

After all, I bet the son wasn't complaing when the dad was working sunup to sundown to make sure he had milk to grow, lights to read at night, so he could study for those final exams and go to school in his good shoes his dad made sure he had, to get that education I bet his dad made sure he got too.

[TexasTimbers]

I just heard on the radio where "Obama met with Pickens...." and is telling the world "His plan needs to be heard". Of course if he thought it would get him more votes, he would say "the plan is a disaster". If I was writing the headlines . . . . .

Anti-oil political windbag endorses big-oil magnate's big wind plans.

Hollywood can't compete with reality. ;D

[Tom]

It's a lot easier for us to judge from a distance than to live with other's decisions up close.  Living with a windmill next door might be to some like living with a race track next door, or a carnival, or a shopping mall.  The neighbor gets the dollars and you get to live with his decision.

Our "neighborhood" has had to bite its tongue and live with a model airplane field that the county sneaked in on us without so much as a whisper.  Chainsaws in the sky is what we have dubbed them.  Yes they were supposed to be muffled(they seldom are) and flying times controlled (they weren't). Complaints are just laughed at and the neighborhood has accepted it, though the people bought here to get away from those noises.  The city picked this place because because "no one lives out there for it to bother"  That was the reasoning when the previous neighborhood ran the club away.

So we live with the noise pollution of people who live in town and even in other towns because, in the county's eye, we aren't here.

Yes, I can empathise.  I don't think I can with the sons who have fought their Dad.  It was their Dad's property to do with as he pleased.  I can empathise with surrounding neighbors who have lost some of their life's aesthetics.   We have some of the same arguments here about cell phone towers.

[SwampDonkey]

I wish I had a model Airplane when I was a kid.  :-\

[Jeff]

I wish I had a model Airplane when I was a kid.  :-\

There's still time...

[OneWithWood]

If we had a steady enough wind I would have put up my own windmill years ago.

I understand wind mills change the scenery and may create a different noise pollution.  I would rather live next to a windmill than a coal mine or a coal fired utility or a nuclear facility.  Energy exacts a price no matter how you slice it.  Some prices are less costly than others.

[Radar67]

Tom, where did you say that field was? Are you up for a visit ? I've been looking for a place to fly my planes.... ;) :D :D :D :D

[TexasTimbers]

Sorry Tom but your description of "chainsaws in the sky" just left me with an immediate imagery, and a melody that started in my head.  Sing it to Johnny Cash's Ghost Riders in the Sky but substitute these lyrics  . . .


Tom Sawyer was-a millin' one dark and windy day,
Upon a cant he rested as he mused about his day
When all at once a mighty fleet of orange and red he saw
Come rushin' through the ragged skies above the piney draw . . .

The leaders were from Sweden and their wingmen made of Stihl
Their mufflers were all modded and their sharp teeth you could feel
A bolt of fear went through him as they buzzed about the sky
He saw the hotsaws coming hard... Stihl's and Husky's from on high . . .

Yipie i oh Yipie i ay
Chainsaws  innnn . .  the skyyyy . . . . .

[Jeff]

 :D   I Love it!  :D

[pappy]

I call it horizon pollution  :

ya I remember when the cell phone towers ( 2 ) where erected on the adjacent hill top next to our house about ten years ago >:(   Ya sure convenient but it really takes away from star gazing on a clear night, and we certainly have stars on a clear night as there isn't any city / town lights around these parts..   :

If you grew up with the sounds of hi ways going by I guess for some it becomes complacent and acceptable..  We live on a secondary road at the bottom of a pretty good size hill and the trucks at night will wake ya up.. Taking a run up and jakein' down  : wasn't like that when we moved here 25 years ago and I'm still not use to it ...

I guess I should take a ride down to Mars Hill on a really windy day to see if what the locals down there are saying about the noise level before I can make an honest opinion... There's a smaller wind mill ( guessing 40' diam blades) in a neighboring town in the center of that town that doesn't turn ever and I'm bettin' it's noise ?? and got shut down, been there for 15 years or so .. A good friend set one up by his house, we stopped by one very windy day and I thought that thing was gonna tear itself apart,, there'll be maintenance on that one and at 80 feet in the air I ain't goin up there!!!


Found the article about the Boston company that wants to do a wind farm off of the Maine coast... There,,, it doesn't have to be in anybodies back yard...

http://bangornews.com/news/t/downeast.aspx?articleid=168177&zoneid=177

Wouldn't it also work in the great Lakes as well,,  and maybe even off the left coast??? I'm not against finding alternative ways just some of them seems like more of an enviro impact than it's worth...

What's the matter with taking only half of New Mexico and setting up solar panels,, Science Channel had a segment about it saying it would be enough to supply all of our country's electrical needs??


Anyway we live in an ever changing world and this ole boy is just gonna have to get use to it...  Wonder if those whirly wigs work when it's 98 below w/ wind chill up in these parts eh ?

[TexasTimbers]

pappy,

I heard a guy on the radio - last name Maxwell some kind of energy expert - he said once the superconductors are able to be made affordable on a scale large enough to be used for transmission supply, the wind power industry was going to take an exponential jump as a source of power.
He said transmission losses will go from what they are now 40% - 60% down to 1%. This would make offshore and highly remote wind farms very attractive. I don't know how far along superconductors on a scale that large are, but he said 10 to 15 years before he expects to see it.