Anyone live near a windfarm?

[gsganzer]

I just learned that a SE Oklahoma property I have a contract on has a plan for a 103 turbine windfarm and solar nearby. The solar I was aware of, as they've broken ground on the first two of three phases. I don't have an issue with the solar, because I can't see it from the property. But, the other night, I had a gut feel that renewables usually run together, so I checked for any other proposed projects and lo and behold, there is also a 103 unit wind farm in the mix. The nearest turbines would be 3000' right out my front door. They actually surround the property on 3 sides. I've spent all day researching through all the on-line records I could and have left messages with county commissioners, the wind farm development folks, local Chamber of Commerce etc. Of course, I haven't received a call back from any of them yet and expect I never will.

It appears the wind farm is still in the planning stage but might have been shelved in favor of the solar. But, I did find court records that they were still filing property easement rights as recent as Sept. 2024. The wind farms have really been losing public support in OK and might have been shelved until a more favorable political environment. Both the wind and solar projects are being funded by Google for their data centers, so I really doubt this idea is dead.

Needless to say, I'm pretty bummed, because I thought we had found the perfect place. The sellers allowed us to extend the contract an additional week to do some more investigation and discovery. The sellers claim they knew nothing about it, but I'm not that naive. The windfarm project boundaries clearly include their property, so I don't know how they wouldn't have been notified. In fact, this will probably end a long-term friendship we thought we had with the sellers.

I'm trying to find any info that says the project is permanently scrapped, but I doubt I find anything that's definitive enough for me to continue moving forward with this property. I think the windfarm plans purposely go black, to avoid public scrutiny.

If anyone wants to PM me with some info I might need, feel free.

Anyone live close to a wind farm?

 

[Hay Dude]

Thankfully, no. I did spend some time in the mountains not too far from some. They are pretty gross.
I hope you don’t have to be subjected to them.

 

[oldnslo]

The section of land directly behind my house was under contract for potential windfarm 15 years ago. I went to the county court house and asked for the county requirements for windmill placement. At that time they were very helpful and provided me copies of the restrictions and requirement for tower placement. Fortunately the project never moved forward and I have not heard anything about it since.

Some of complaints I have heard from people that do live by them when attending meetings is noise and if on shade side the flickering shade from rotors can be annoying. Also roads are destroyed during construction but usually repaired once construction is over. This was from people that had windfarm approx 40 miles northwest of me.

Also problems with throwing ice off of the propellers under certain conditions. It can fly quite a distance.

Would there towers on your property or just adjacent. On your property the county should provide you the restrictions on tower placement.

Examples for reference:
must be more than 1,000 feet from any road easement.

Must be more than 1,200 feet from any building housing people or animals.

 

[gsganzer]

The section of land directly behind my house was under contract for potential windfarm 15 years ago. I went to the county court house and asked for the county requirements for windmill placement. At that time they were very helpful and provided me copies of the restrictions and requirement for tower placement. Fortunately the project never moved forward and I not heard anything about it since.

Some of complaints I have heard from people that do live by them when attending meetings is noise and if on shade side the flickering shade from rotors can be annoying. Also roads are destroyed during construction but usually repaired once construction is over.

Also problems with throwing ice off of the propellers under certain conditions. It can fly quite a distance.

Would there towers on your property or just adjacent.

Adjacent. 1/2 mile away. But I did just find that these towers would be 500'+ tall.

Also reading that the solar was put in to replace the proposed wind project, but lots of conflicting info. I need something definitive.

I'm numb from researching all day, shutting it down for the night.

 

[ericm979]

There's a number of wind farms in the hills near the town I grew up in. I've been up there often. The windmills are kind of noisy but that will depend on the wind direction and strength and the windmill design and of course how close you are. I would expect that newer windmills are quieter but they may not be.

Does the company have any installed windmills near by that you can go check out?

3000' is about a half mile. They might not be all that loud at that distance. But I'd want to try it out if possible.

How tall would these be? They make some really huge ones now, but lots of regular ones too.

 

[oldnslo]

Adjacent. 1/2 mile away. But I did just find that these towers would be 500'+ tall.

Also reading that the solar was put in to replace the proposed wind project, but lots of conflicting info. I need something definitive.

I'm numb from researching all day, shutting it down for the night.

I feel for you and wish you the best in your research.

 

[HawkinsHollow]

Interesting and sad turn of events, sorry! I am a proponent of renewable resources, I think wind and solar are good things. But I gotta be honest with you, I would not want them in my backyard. @oldnslo that is some interesting feedback. Never thought about the flickering light. Also all of those red flashing lights all night long.

They are really popping up everywhere. We drive through northern IL to go to my in-laws for Christmas and they are all over up there. Also, I just drove I-70 to Colorado for the first time in 15 years and they are all over Kansas. They definetely do not add to the aesthetics of a landscape that is for sure.

 

[oldnslo]

Hawkins,
Being from farming background I really struggle with the thought that taking fertile farm land out of production for wind mill or solar is a good thing vs counter productive. We only have so much farmable land and when it is gone someone is going to get hungry. I suspect but have no actual data to support the thought on a lot of the fields are on property not owned by actual family farmers but by some investment group looking for quick payout vs what will land be growing 20 years from now. Local farmers just rent the property.

Some of the restrictions imposed were farmers couldn’t drive on access roads to the towers but power company could at will drive on your crops to repair the tower. There was some reimbursement that I am not certain how it worked. This was a real problem for the farms that raised food for their animals.

The huge, huge unknown is what happens when the tower wears out or farm is decommissioned.

 

[ponytug]

Hawkins,
Being from farming background I really struggle with the thought that taking fertile farm land out of production for wind mill or solar is a good thing vs counter productive. We only have so much farmable land and when it is gone someone is going to get hungry. I suspect but have no actual data to support the thought on a lot of the fields are on property not owned by actual family farmers but by some investment group looking for quick payout vs what will land be growing 20 years from now. Local farmers just rent the property.

Some of the restrictions imposed were farmers couldn’t drive on access roads to the towers but power company could at will drive on your crops to repair the tower. There was some reimbursement that I am not certain how it worked. This was a real problem for the farms that raised food for their animals.

The huge, huge unknown is what happens when the tower wears out or farm is decommissioned.

FWIW: Around here, they tend to replace the old hardware with more modern windmills and keep going as there are only so many good sites for wind. Older windmills were short, and closer together, so as the windmills get bigger they tend to go up, and therefore fewer per unit area. I know farmers who farm around wind farms with no issues as very little land goes out of production, and I know of a few who operate under solar panels (berries and sheep mostly), but neither group were what I would describe as prime farmland.

@txdon Sorry to hear that your plans might be disrupted. If you think it would bother you, I would go elsewhere. If the wind farm would annoy you daily, it would be like an open wound, so why do it?

I would point out that lots of groups file plans, but not many actually make it through to actually building. In the current environment, I doubt that you would see much of any progress. Weak tea, I know.

All the best,

Peter

 

[ruffdog]

I drive past the ones near Cobb WI and they have become a non-issue after 24 years. The rhetoric about the noise has been proven to be misinformation. Some people even fight against the ones that you can't even see like off shore farms.

Montfort wind farm marks 10th anniversary - RENEW Wisconsin