Anyone live near a windfarm?

[LittleBill21]

I don't know what you mean there is no noise? I have atv'd near them for years, you can hear them 100 yards out.

 

[jyoutz]

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.

Whatever the other pros and cons are related to windmills, they don’t necessarily take farmland out of production. A good example is the Texas panhandle around Amarillo. Tens of thousands of acres of land are farmed for wheat and cotton, all of which also do double duty as wind farms that stretch on for miles.

 

[ruffdog]

I don't know what you mean there is no noise? I have atv'd near them for years, you can hear them 100 yards out.

Quote from a landowner in posted article:

“People are also surprised at how quiet the turbines are,” Anderson said. “Some family members still live in our homestead only 2,000 feet from the turbines, and they don’t have any problems with noise or anything else."

Here are the specs on the Montfort farm:

Montfort Wind Energy Center | Wind Farm in Montfort, WI

 

[square1]

Also all of those red flashing lights all night long.

The wind farms would tranquil if not for the flashing lights. A light can be shielded from being seen outside its intended illumination area, why can't they shield lights meant to alert air traffic from areas where air traffic isn't, a.k.a the ground! I suppose it makes maintenance easier if you can tell with a glance from the ground a light is burnt out, but there are several ways to tell if an electrical device is functioning without having to physically look at it.

 

[lman]

Farmland is disappearing in Indiana at a pretty good rate in my area. The Mammoth solar project took about 13,000 acres and about another 5,000 acres near Wheatfield. Many communities are placing tighter restrictions to limit the solar projects. A large portion of that electricity will be used to power Data Centers now under construction in St. Joseph County. Coal power plants are being shut down so with the Data Centers consuming so much electricity, there's not much left for residences.

 

[Mtsoxfan]

I have 14 visible from my home, guessing under a mile as the crow flies, due west. They don't bother us, nor any guests. I also don't mind the lights at night. Actually find it relaxing, lost in mindless though, staring at them at night. We are on a ridge, as are they. Always breezy here, although they are not always in operation. Seems like a waste at those times.
My sister lives on Martha's Vineyard in MA. There was a big fight decades ago to keep them off island, but some were installed. Visiting, I didn't mind the noise, but could see it getting old quick if I lived there.