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.

 

[EddieWalker]

Sorry to hear this. I was very curious if the owners of the land new about it and didn't mention it to you. I don't see how they could not know, and their timing of selling seems to indicate that they want it sold before it happens so they can get the best price for it. In my opinion, windmills next to a property will lower the value of that property.

A good friend that I grew up with owns a crane company and he's had contracts with solar farms in multiple states. From what he's said, and also what I've read, they lose money on maintenance, and once the government subsidies go away, they tend end up abandoned to fall apart. It turns out that there is a massive amount of abrasive dust in the wind, and that dust is extremely difficult to keep out of moving parts, and once it gets into those moving parts, the wear can be substantial.

My neighbor had an acre taken from him for another Green Energy Project that might relate to this. He has a natural gas pipeline across his land that has super clean gas in it. Apparently, there is clean gas and there is dirty gas in the pipelines. This natural gas was needed to convert plastic shopping bag sacks back into oil. The land was bought to build the plant about 2 miles away, and they used his land to tap into the pipeline so they could install a new pipeline to where the plant was going to be built.

This is a privately owned project that was funded by the Federal Government. Because it was privately owned, the couldn't take his land by eminent domain, so they lied and said the closest town needed it for their needs. The mayor exposed this as a lie, and also said that the town did not have the money to run natural gas to their town, and had no interest in doing this. Somehow the eminent domain went through anyway and they took his land. He was paid a lot more for it then the price per acre is going for her, but he fought it for as long as he could, but they had a deadline, and he never had a chance.

Once it was built, the rest of the project came to a stop. From what I've heard, there are no plans to do this anymore.

For me, it means that when the state widens the road in front of my place, which they are planning on doing, odds are very good that they will not take any of my land because of the new tap for the gas line. It's just too complex to move, and there isn't anything on the other side of the road. I believe they will take the land across the road and leave me alone.

With all the money that is lost for windmill farms, and how dependent they are on Federal Funds to build them, and keep them operating, I think it's a long shot that it will be built.

You said that Google is behind this, but I think they are pushing for nuclear power now since their need for power is so extreme. You can't rely on wind and solar, and when they do produce power, it's never the same from day to day. Nuclear is the only way they will be able to get enough power to run their AI computers.

Instead of trying to get information out of those in charge, it might be worthwhile to talk to some of the people who work in those areas. I got most of my information about the natural gas pipeline from the guys reading the gas meters, and the guys working on the water lines near my place.

Of course, sometimes it's not meant to be, and you'll find a much better place in the future.

 

[bdhsfz6]

FWIW, around 10 years ago, I was approached by ROW agents from a wind farm construction company. Part of my acreage is on a hilltop and was to be included in a 42 turbine project to be built along the ridge top. I forget all the details but I remember it being a fairly lucrative lease agreement. I told them I'd think about it.

A few weeks later, I happened to be riding on a trail that passed through a hilltop field with a newly installed turbine array. The farmer was cutting hay and I managed to talk with him. We were standing about a hundred yards from the base of a turbine and the noise, a combination of gear clatter and whine, made it difficult to converse.

He said taking the lease was the biggest mistake he had ever made. The construction company installed the turbines in October and destroyed a good portion of his corn crop. He was never compensated and more damage occurs every time they do maintenance. He can't graze livestock because the turbine whine spooks the animals. All he can do now is grow hay for fear of losing more crop.

Up to that point, I was seriously considering taking the lease but this incident of course changed my mind. Apparently, the other land owners did too. The wind farm was eventually built, but thankfully on a ridge about 12 miles to the west of my location. I can see the turbines but otherwise have no issues.

 

[hayden]

There was a turbine, actually two, visible from my last house and about 2 miles as the crow flies. I actually found them quite soothing to watch. They were located in an industrial park that I went to periodically, and in that area you could hear them going woosh, woosh, woosh. Not awful, but definitely noticeable. And no, there were not dead birds or bats all over the place.

All that said, I wouldn't want to be 3000' from them. Disappointing as it must be, I'd be looking for another spot.

 

[Mi-Troll]

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.

These farms are all over Michigan's thumb, they are an eye sore. You're a proponent of renewable resources, what about the projected 700k + tons of blades that cannot be recycled and end up in land fills over the next decade or so? They take up space both while operating and in the mountains of landfill sites.