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Too many question are blowing in the wind
We all support clean energy - but what if its expectations are unmet? Maine has one windmill project up and running in Mars Hill, with its share of controversy. There are additional projects proposed in other sections of Maine. The governor's wind power task force has proposed at least 2,000 megawatts within seven years, and an additional 1,000 megawatts within five years after that. I was a proponent of clean energy - something must be done for our environment. But after much discussion, a lot of listening and some research, I now have questions that must be answered before I can support any wind project in Maine..... Read more
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Politics and other mistakes: Blown away
I'm sorry to inform you that there is an institution in Maine that repeatedly makes promises to the public, but rarely fulfills them. This same entity is also prone to issuing statements containing exaggerated claims about its accomplishments. And when it comes to the financial benefits it bestows on the public, let's just say its veracity is questionable. The Legislature? Don't be silly. The Legislature's veracity isn't questionable. It's nonexistent. I'm talking about the wind-power industry.... Read more
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The wind blows where, when it wants
A few months ago, the Dallas area experienced rolling brownouts when a front moved through and the wind died unexpectedly, causing a large amount of wind-generated power to die out. Power plants had to scramble to get their gas- and coal-fired generators up to speed to offset the lost power when the wind generators dropped off. That's a problem because generating stations and their equipment do not take drastic changes in load easily, especially the big coal-fired plants. Equipment has to warm up, and keeping them on "standby" requires energy, in addition to "wear and tear.".... Read more
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Simple guidelines for siting wind turbines to prevent health risks
Industrial scale wind turbines are a familiar part of the landscape in Europe, U.K. and other parts of the world. In the U.S., however, similar industrial scale wind energy developments are just beginning operation. The presence of industrial wind projects will increase dramatically over the next few years given the push by the Federal and state governments to promote renewable energy sources through tax incentives and other forms of economic and political support. States and local governments in the U.S. are promoting what appear to be lenient rules for how industrial wind farms can be located in communities, which are predominantly rural and often very quiet. Studies already completed and currently in progress describe significant health effects associated with living in the vicinity of industrial grade wind turbines.... Read more
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"A Problem With Wind Power"
Wind power promises a clean and free source of electricity. It will reduce our dependence on imported fossil fuels and reduce the output of greenhouse gases and other pollution. Many governments are therefore promoting the construction of vast wind "farms," encouraging private companies with generous subsidies and regulatory support, requiring utilities to buy from them, and setting up markets for the trade of "green credits" in addition to actual energy. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) aims to see 5% of our electricity produced by wind turbine in 2010. Energy companies are eagerly investing in wind power, finding the arrangement quite profitable.
A little research, however, reveals that wind power does not in fact live up to the claims made by it's advocates, that its impact on the environment and people's lives is far from benign, and that with such a poor record and prospect the money spent on it could be much more effectively directed.... Read more
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Landowners share power line concerns
About 150 landowners and concerned residents met in Harper Thursday to discuss possible construction of a private electric transmission line through Gillespie County. "We basically wanted to get together and pool our information," Martha Stevens, who helped organize the meeting, said. "We live in an awfully pretty part of Texas, and there are important questions we need to ask." Landowners are concerned, Ms. Stevens said, that construction of power lines will diminish property values and harm the Hill Country's appeal to tourists. ... Read more
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Wind Power Facts
How big are the towers?
...The 1.8-megawatt Vestas V90 from Denmark is also common. Its 148-ft blades (sweeping more than 1.5 acres) are on a 262-ft tower, totaling 410 feet....
The base of the steel tower is anchored in a platform of more than a thousand tons of cement and steel rebar....
On the GE 1.5-megawatt model, the nacelle alone weighs more than 56 tons, the blade assembly weighs more than 36 tons, and the tower itself weighs about 71 tons, for a total weight of 164 tons....... Read more
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Legal Issues for Landowners
A wind agreement should never be negotiated without first having the agreement reviewed by legal counsel. Wind energy agreements are long-term agreements that will impact the land subject to the agreement for many years, likely beyond the lifetime of the landowner who executes the agreement..... Read more
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Resolution on Bats and Wind Energy Development
Be it resolved that on this 7th day of July, 2008, that members of the North American Symposium on Bat Research have expressed concern about fatalities of bats at utility-scale wind energy facilities in North America. Because bats have exceptionally low reproductive rates, making them susceptible to population declines and local extinctions, bat fatalities at wind facilities could pose biologically significant cumulative impacts for some species of bats unless solutions are found..... Read more
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Case study of lightning damage to wind turbine blade
This brief document provides a case study of a wind energy facility in Texas and the effect of lightning strikes on wind turbine blades. Despite the 1.5 MW turbine blades having been equipped with lightning protection, the blades failed as a result of lightning strikes.... Read more
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"Wind turbines don't make good neighbors"
Reasearched and written by Eleanor Tillinghast of Green Berkshires Inc. this is a comprehensive study of the probable impact of industrial wind plants on the rural character, quality-of-life and economy of the Berkshires in Western Massachusetts. Specific issues addressed include visual aesthetics, tourism, property values, public roads and public safety...... Read more
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Michael McCann testimony re: Rail Splitter wind energy faclity
Testimony of Mr. Michael McCann, a certified general real estate appraiser with 28-years experience appraising residential and commercial property. Mr McCann addresses the possible impacts of wind turbine development on residential properties located within 1500-feet of the turbines..... Read more
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Brownsville, WI family diary: living with turbines (an update)
The Brownsville Diary: Entries of a noise log kept by a Brownsville, Wisconsin family living 3/4 miles east of South Byron in Fond Du Lac County, Wisconsin. The new turbines have just gone on line there..... Read more
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Wendy Todd testimony before Maine Wind Task Force
In my opinion [Mars Hill] is some of the prettiest acreage in Aroostook and I was very happy to come home to it, in fact... it was my dream. ... The turbines however, have changed most of that as the land that was once known for its remote nature, wildlife and solitude is now home to an industrial wind plant. For anyone to say that a wind turbine facility has a low impact on the local environment...is irresponsible. Yet the industry and the media surrounding it seem insistent on making light of the problems that exist. The problems are real and they are hurting families emotionally, physically and economically......... Read more
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Amended Direct Testimony of Kevin L Zarem, MAI, Before the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin
Q. Even considering all of those factors or weaknesses, what is your conclusion regarding the impact on residential property values from the proposed project?
A. Under certain circumstances as described in my report, the negative impact may be similar. Also, in significant view loss situations, as described in my report, I would conclude that, within a reasonable degree of professional certainty, land values may be negatively impacted 17%-20%..... Read more
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Wind Turbine Syndrome
Testimony of Nina Pierpont, MD, PhD
I am here to talk to you today as a physician-scientist about a clinical phenomenon called Wind Turbine Syndrome. ...Current siting practices (which are solely industry-driven) disregard public health. The supervision...is needed to create siting standards to protect citizenry, all the citizenry, including citizens who are rural, old, impaired and very young.... Read more
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Getting Up To Speed On Wind Power
...The fact is that wind power does not materially help with global warming.
...The fact is that ALL energy sources have shortcomings, but we would be MUCH better off trying to solve the issues with sources that genuinely provide Base Load electricity, rather than spending hundreds of billions of dollars supporting things like wind power that don't...... Read more
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Diary of a windfarm neighbour -- Hell on Earth
The following is a twelve-month diary (January 2007 through December 2007) meticulously kept by a woman named Gail Mair (MA, Cambridge University). Gail lives with her husband Walter in Tuscany, Italy. Gail (fluent in English, German, and Italian) and Walter (a native of Italy) bought this piece of propertyyears ago and, in October 2006, moved into the (modest) dream house they had just built. It was to be their retirement home.... Read more
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Chilling Statistics -- Birds / windfarms- a compilation of bird mortality reports
Birdkills at windfarms are a hot topic. Subsides worth billions of dollars and billions of euros hang in the balance - forif it were known that windfarms kill millions of birds yearlyacross the world, many of them eagles, swans, geese, cranes, storks, bustards and other protected species, the public purse would no longer be accessible to wind promotersand their clients. Hence the cover-up I denounced in other articles..... Read more
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