3MW windturbines 90MW project. Move out?

[3930dave]

I've vacationed along the shore of Lake Erie, Canadian side. Spent time visiting small towns, wineries, etc in the area. There are some of the biggest wind farms in Canada sited there.

The locals (including rural) that I talked with didn't seem to have a problem with the wind towers. I've stood within 500 yards of them, and even there I personally didn't find the sound objectionable.

I was chatting with one farm owner about this topic, standing in their parking lot, in front of their store that had a wind turbine not far away. As we were talking, a diesel (stock, not modified exhaust) transport truck passed by; it was significantly louder than any wind turbine noise.

That stuck in my mind, concerning what we consider normal, and acceptable in a modern society.

To that end, we should eliminate skyscrapers, long before we condemn wind turbines for killing birds. Bird strike fatalaties are very low on wind turbines, and essentially zero compared to skyscrapers.

OP - you're probably not that far away from the big wind farms I'm describing. I'd say plan a full day, or longer, to spend time visiting those communities and wind farms - gather your own impressions, and ask the locals for theirs.

Rgds, D.

 

[mikehaugen]

I just read an article not long ago, about a significant number of bats being killed by the towers. I guess it makes sense since they don't really "see" anything, so are only aware of what's right in front of them... and when flying near a wind tower, what's right in front of them can change pretty quickly!

 

[tcartwri]

This would make me nuts.

Industrial Wind Turbine Shadow Flicker in Wisconsin 2008 - YouTube

 

[3930dave]

Hadn't read about bats Mike, will add that to my Winter reading list.

The big turbines move pretty slowly..... I can see more of an issue with bats and small high speed wind turbines.

Rgds, D.

 

[Markcuda]

Come on, shadow flicker is only present when the sun is out.LOLOLOL

Edit= I am also a huge bat fanatic.

 

[MossRoad]

This would make me nuts.

Industrial Wind Turbine Shadow Flicker in Wisconsin 2008 - YouTube

Holy C$#%@! I would go nuts with that. It ruined the value of those homes for sure.

 

[dave1949]

This would make me nuts.

Industrial Wind Turbine Shadow Flicker in Wisconsin 2008 - YouTube

Holy C$#%@! I would go nuts with that. It ruined the value of those homes for sure.

That's a good example of why wind farms need to be sited better than they have been in many places. A 1000' setback is a gift to the wind developers. Not only are wind farms a truly industrial thing that shouldn't be plopped down just anywhere, their effects reach out well beyond the site.

The flicker on a given day will not last all that long, and as the sun rise/set seasonally swings around the horizon in northern latitudes, and peaks at different angles from the horizontal, the shadows will fall in different places in different months. It would not be fun though. Imagine free range chickens going crazy thinking the shadow is a hawk.

The noise issue is tough because rural people tend to be, or try to be, tolerant of noise pollution. Think about the discussions we have had regarding gun noise pollution. Noise pollution just isn't an easily settled topic in rural settings.

Property rights are also a sticking point. Should we have the ability to limit a neighbor's income from their land? The conclusion I came to was if a neighbor needs to pollute or devalue my land to profit from his, well yes, I should have a say in the matter. If I want to sell my rights, that's okay as long as it shows up as an easement on the registered deed.

It does end up applying restrictions to a neighbor's wind farm that most would not think of applying to a neighbor's hog farm, for example. There are no totally fair answers.

The other issue is tax revenue. The wind farm will reduce property taxes in most rural locations. Often, compared to the existing tax base, it is a huge capital investment. The less affluent people in that tax district might look at saving $500/year on property taxes differently than those who are more well off. If you can afford it, the tendency is to say no thanks the money. I want peace and quiet, no flicker or blinking lights, and don't want to look at alien objects on the landscape. If $500 means more to someone, they would say, heck yes I'll suffer a bit for the money. And, they may look at wealthier people who can afford to turn up their noses at good money a little harshly.