Would you want to live next to a wind turbine?
Posted at 5:00 AM on July 23, 2010
by Eric Ringham
(64 Comments)
Filed under: Environment/Energy, Science/Technology
A planned wind farm in Goodhue County has generated controversy among some area residents and officials. Today's Question: Would you want to live next to a wind turbine?
Comments (64)
Yes, absolutely. I would welcome the choice to be able to trade some comfort (purported noise issues) in exchange for improving the environment. We would love to see alternative-style windmills and solar farms installed on parking garages throughout downtown St. Paul. Feed the resulting electricity back into the local grid and/or use it to provide free power to electric vehicles used by commuters. Providing such an incentive to commuters would increase the proportion of electric to gasoline-powered vehicles such that we could see dramatic improvements in air quality and a _reduction_ in the noise, as cars are far worse than windmills.
Do real research.
Wind Farm the name is mis-leading.
It is "Industrializing" the land.
Your property values will plummet - even worse than they have been in this economy.
They produce a strob- effect. The "Swooshing" noice is inescapable.
The Strobe-Light all night makes it to where you need to purchace Black-Out Blinds.
The acres of trees that need to be chopped down is at min. 4 acres.
The migratory bats and birds that will be killed is sick.
The WindTurbine only lasts 20-30 years because the welds fail = the turbine will need to be removed and that would be at the land owners expence - look at your lease.
Wind Power is ineffective and not the answer.
I would rather live next to a hundred windmills than live next to a highway. Or a coal power plant. Or an oil refinery. Or a coal mine. Or an oil field. Or a nuclear plant.
To paraphrase Churchill, "Wind farms are the worst kind of power generating neighbor we have, except for all the others that we have tried."
Well, maybe solar would be better, but I can't imagine anyone would build a farm of those in Minnesota.
It couldn't be any worse than the golf course I live next to.
I HAVE lived next to a wind turbine - St. Olaf College has one on their campus, and I lived in one of the dorms closest to the turbine, in a room facing in the direction of the turbine. I NEVER heard anything; even when you're close to it, you have to stop and sit quietly to actually hear it.
Perhaps an entire farm would be louder, but would it be any worse than the awful buzzing from high voltage power lines and towers?
Seems like it would not be too hard to figure out how far a turbine should be from houses to have the noise at an acceptable level most of the time. We need to get away from fossil fuels. But in placing wind turbines we should consider safety of protected birds, too.
I should point out that living next to windfarm is also less intrusive than living next to a hog-finishing operation.
Wind energy is not the end-all solution to clean energy. What we really need to do is find ways to get off the grid.
Power lines go down in wind storms and blizzards--at times when we need electric power the most. If we claim to be such an advanced technological society, then why do we accept this?
Wind power lines require roads for maintenance, are being routed through sensitive areas, contribute to bat and bird kill, and can produce noise and vibrations. Power lines in general used herbicides to control undergrowth, and use wooden poles soaked in creosote.
In addition, the production of huge wind turbines require metals such as chromium and nickel which are being mined in senstive areas, and use oil and gas in production and in transportation from factory to field.
Instead of turning to wind projects that leave their own trail of problems, we should begin a clean energy future by using conservation and efficiencies. Government money should be spent in promoting research on new non-grid energy sources.
I've heard from wind-skeptics both (1) that it's yet one more way for big business to exploit small landowners and run roughshod over local communities, and (2) that it's part of a grand socialist plot to centralize power and make people more dependent on the government. It's been said that you can judge a person by the kind of enemies he or she makes. I suppose that goes for ideas, too. If knee-jerk extremists on both sides hate something, it must be a good idea.
Alot of people on here are saying they would like to live next to a wind turbine but what they are trying to do in Goodhue county is put in hundreds of turbines. You would not be living next to 1 or 2, they will be every where. If this happens you will not only have to deal with the turbines but also massive power lines & they loss of some of the best farm land in MN. Plus all the saftey concerns that go along with having 400' tall turbine a 1000' from your house. Some concerns would be shadow flicker, low frequency noise, stray voltage & the fact that they can throw massive ice hunks off of the blades up to a 1/2 mile.
Only if I had a substantial share in ownership of it. I had hoped, when wind turbines began to appear, that wind power would empower the people most directly involved in its generation -- the residents of rural communities. What we have seen instead is that land owners and neighbors receive only fixed lease contracts or, if they have problems with a nearby turbine, one-time payoffs. They gain no share in the potential upside as the demand for wind power increases, and they have no control over the practices used in producing that power.
No I would not want to live next to one of these things.
The people who are putting these things up do not care about the people who have to live next to these things. There is no proof that they are safe. They will decrease property values. They are not a reliable source of energy & with all the pollution that goes into building & erecting these things, I do not believe that they are the answer to energy needs.
Yes, I would live next to a wind turbine or more. I live in the country now and live next to power lines that criss cross the fields. I live next to telephone poles, stop sighs, and silos. I think that wind energy is going to be important for Minnesota's economy and also the health of these two rural towns on the cusp of having these turbines slotted to come in. I would object very much living next to a nuclear power plant, or worse, a nuclear waste sight.
Yes I would and plan to have one in my yard in the next 2 years. Since the newer types like with an egg beater design instead of the blades seem to be less noisy. Hope to do more research first. Each time I see a blade style wind generator, I hope, we can get enough up soon enough to make a difference?
I totally support wind genertation! I would lease to a corporation or create my own farm if I could.
I'd like to take this time to tell you that wind generation has been in the minnesota are for about 75 years. Years ago farmers had their own wind mills and would add a generator to them. I own an old battery from then. It is glass with a very hard black rubber/plastic lid for access and connectors. Now that is a dying art.
I would welcome private individual as well as private farms and corporations.
WE have the ideal conditions for production. If we could controll where it goes that would even be better. Locally Grown Energy!!
Yes! It's a lot better than living next to a nuclear plant or a coal plant!
I was sympathetic to the wind turbine neighbors in this Strib piece a few months ago:
http://www.startribune.com/local/81195972.html?elr=KArksLckDiUvckDiUiacyKUHDYaGEP7eyckcUs
The gist: a shadow of one of the blades crosses their house more than once a second, so the light in their house flickers for hours a day. Pretty impossible to ignore, difficult to mitigate. They planted a treeline.
For sure. I have talked to lots of people in older projects where they have been running for years. And they build even better projects today.
I just hope that all those who have bought into the organized anitwind scare tactics aren't sorry down the road because they passed up their only chance to share in the monetary benefits from the project in their area. There are people in older completed projects that did that, and they wish now that they hadn't been quite so naive. The anti-wind turmoil is gone, the neighborhood has healed, the turbines are now considered a "good neighbor" contributing to the economic well being of the community and a normal part of the neighborhood, and life in the community and region is far better for having them.
I would absolutely live near a wind turbine or wind farm. I have heard all the nonsense about "dangers" associated with living near wind turbines; none of those claims are scientifically proven. I cannot imagine what motivates people to spread those lies. Fear of the unknown?
I like the comments about wind turbines as an alternative to other forms of power generation- would people prefer to have a coal or nuclear plant in their backyard? We use a lot of electricity in this country (conservation is an important step, but we will always need power) and it needs to come from somewhere. Every power source has an impact. However, the impact of wind turbines is comparatively negligible next to burning fossil fuels or creating toxic waste.
Wind turbines create clean energy from a renewable source and boost our economy, how can anyone argue with that?
We cannot ask this question without its corollary: Would you want to live next to the new high voltage transmission lines which are necessary to move remotely-generated wind power to market? Are steel lattice towers and aluminum wires as "cool", "graceful", "aesthetic", or in any other sense as pleasing a neighbor as the wind turbines whose existence they enable?
Sure. The technology has come a long way since the 1980's and 90's. Most of the opposition in regards sound and light frequencies have based upon anecdotal evidence. Many communities now adopt zoning ordinances where housing should be at least 1000 feet to a half a mile away from wind turbines. It is legit that windturbines pose as a hazard to wildlife, but automobiles pose an even greater threat.
Absolutely, I would live near a wind turbine. I currently live only a few miles from several large wind projects, and go through them very often. I have talked with my neighbors who have lived among them for years. The fear-mongers of the anti-wind movement travel from project to planned project trying to scare the bejeebers out of anyone naive enough to buy their propaganda. In most areas, the concerns go away after the the turbines are up and the anti-wind zealots of the immediate area realize that the reality is that they've been duped. It's fear that drives this, and the anti-wind movement knows it. That's why the turmoil goes away a few years after construction, and moves on to the next project that is going through the permitting process.
I am absolutely convinced that a wind turbine is by far a better neighbor to the agricultural community than are all the non-ag residences that oppose everything that ag needs to do to make a living off our land.
I support wind energy and would not have a problem with one close to where we live. Wind energy is clean, green and good for America.
Wake up America and be receptive to positive changes. The people screaming against wind energy would scream even louder if they didn't have energy to run their air conditioners.
In the same way that we, as a country, are leaving a shameful national debt for our grandchildren to clean up at some point in the future, we are leaving a shameful ecological debt. As long we continue to power our current lifestyles with fuels whose externalities (in the form of carbon building up in the atmosphere and nuclear waste building up in casks around our nuke plants) are not priced into our monthly electrical bills we, are leaving another mess for our grandchildren to clean up.
It is about time that we do the right thing and begin to rely, to the maximum extent possible on renewables. It is unconscionable to leave a wasteland for those who come after us. As the grand children of the NIMBY’s look back through the news clippings of grandpa’s opposition to the solution, I wonder what they will think?
Yes, If you want to put a wind tower on may land, and pay me to be part of the solution instead of part of the problem, I’m all in.
I would like to own or live by a wind turbine or wind farm. Being able to convert the wind, that can be a real pain for some outdoor activities, into electricity is great. When the wind is blowing and I'm trying to snow blow the driveway, having a turbine would keep a big smile on my face. Wind energy is a form of solar energy and as such is, and will be, inexhaustible as long as the sun lives on. I have been to several wind farms and don't consider the sounds made by the turbines to be offensive in any way. Part of the path to energy independence and the solution to global warming is blowin' in the wind.
It would not bother me to live near a wind turbine. I think they are quite amazing structures,. There are state mandated setbacks from building sites, which seem very fair to me. I am willing to do my part to make America a better place to live.
It seems almost everyone believes we need to make changes to make America a better place to live. However, many want America to change as long as it does not have any impact on them. Renewable energy is one way we can help America. Wind Energy is not the only answer but it is one of many we need to embrace and support. As we send prayers to our American citizens suffering from the massive oil spill, it is reassuring to know that Wind Energy does not pollute.
I question who is behind the driiving force of the anti-wind efforts. Is it foreign oil? Terrorism? Who would want to hurt American?
As our soldiers deploy to proudly support America, we need to do our part at home too. Yes, America does need to make changes at home. Our first step is to rid ourselves of excessive greed and begin to view the big picture. What can we do to make America a better place to live. Wind Energy is definitely one of the answers. You may bring wind turbines to my neighborhood!
Yes. We have leased our wind rights to a developer. Our decision to sign a wind lease came about after careful study both for and against wind turbines. The positive aspects far out way the negative. As farmers, the additional income to our farming operation, clean renewable energy, the economic benefits to local communities and the creation of jobs were strong arguments in favor of wind farms.
It would make giving directions to your house much easier!! "Follow the wind turbine, I'm the blue house with shutters".
I am all for clean energy. I know people say that noise would be an issue. But I live next to a railroad track, and thats way worse than any noice a wind farm could generate I'm sure. Going back to clean energy, with the BIG oil spill in the gulf to pollution of coal and the fact that there is no safe way to dispose of nuclear waste, whats the best for our health and the planet.
Yes, if I lived in a rural area with a good wind resource I would purchase a wind turbine to power my home - Small Wind. If my neighbors and I had the land, wind resource and investment opportunity to build a Community Wind farm, then yes, I would work on development of several commercial scale turbines. Wind energy is clean, renewable, the wind is free, and the economic benefits of local ownership are three to five times higher than corporate ownership that depends on leasing land (see NREL.gov for studies).
Thanks for the gentleman who pointed out that Europe is far ahead of the US in generating wind and solar - and an enormous percent of that (85% in Denmark) is owned by regular community members and not multinational corporations.
Yes, I would live near a turbine. Turbines create economic revenue and I wish I lived in a rural area where I could take advantage of this! Landowners receive anywhere from $6,000-$12,000+ a turbine a year; that is a lot of money that helps supplement farming income. Especially in today's economy, having a steady source of income is important when times are tough. This is income I otherwise would not receive. Also, turbines take up a very small tract of land, only a 1/2 -1 acre and I can still have animals graze right up next to them and farm right up next to their foundations.
Turbines are part of solution; no they are not the answer to all our problems but we have start somewhere.Pollution due to fossil fuel burning causes health damages-cancers and diseases. Do we truly want to continue on this path of destroying our planet and our health?
Turbine noise is very subjective as any sound is in this world and you can't believe everything you see on the Internet. Look at the facts, look at the success of the industry and how many people are happy with wind energy. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has strict noise guidelines for turbine setbacks from residences to protect health and well being. This is all in the public's best interest.
Also, the industry isn't new, wind energy has been around for over 20 years. Minnesota has 1800 MW of wind installed; with its origins in the western part of the state, near Buffalo Ridge. If it was a such a bad thing when they first installed it, why would they continue nearly 20 years later? If you talk to the landowners out in Buffalo Ridge, you will find that they love living near turbines, they love the income it brings and the struggling county enjoys the tax revenues it receives. This is definitely the majority opinion across the state.
My wife and I would absolutely love to live next to a wind turbine. We both believe they are graceful feats of engineering. I know I could sit and watch them turn for hours on end.
Admittedly I am a bit biased, as I currently work on the newest expansion of the Buffalo Ridge wind farm in SD, but I firmly believe wind power must be an integral part of our energy generating mix.
Larger wind farms are typically a shot in the arm of the local economy as well. Landowners typically receive several thousand dollars a year for right-of-way, and the footprint of the towers has a minimal impact on farming and grazing land.
A mid sized project easily requires 200+ workers. These workers need food, housing, entertainment, and supplies, which are usually purchased locally. Finally, locals are typically hired to become full-time maintenance technicians to service the turbines after completion.
As for the negative impacts, I understand bird and bat strikes are substantially down with the more recent designs, to the point that cell phone towers are more lethal to wildlife than wind towers. Those of us who live in urban or suburban environments, or even in rural areas anywhere near a highway deal with more noise than a wind tower could possibly emit.
Absolutely. I already do, and I love the idea of making energy from something that would have otherwise just blown by! The turbine is on my neighbor's land, so I don't get the money for the turbine, but that's okay. My air is cleaner, and I love just sitting there watching it gracefully turn. Everyone should love this!
I would welcome the opportunity to live next to a wind turbine, but would prefer to have the wind turbine on my land to be a little more financially beneficial. My in-laws own land in Lake Benton, MN and their land is surrounded by wind turbines. They don’t have any on their property but have still received compensation from the developer. I have visited and stayed overnight without losing any sleep due to noise. Some of these towers have been there for years so the technology is a little dated compared to modern day turbines that produce less noise and generate more power. This also happens to be one of the poorest counties in the state and the wind turbines have added much needed revenue and jobs. There are always going to be people that support wind energy and those against it for various reasons. I think it’s important to listen to what people are saying on either side, make sure the facts are substantiated, and come to a reasonable compromise.
I would say I have no problem living next to at wind turbine. I actually think they are cool, and actually something beautiful to see out the window.
And I agree with the junk science of about low frequency sound....
Not only would i do this as support of BETTER energy, but support of actually just looking cool.
Who wouldn't ? Snobs?
The question needs to be phrased correctly. If the question is "Would you rather live next to a wind turbine, coal mine or nuclear plant?", just about everyone would pick the wind turbine. If the question is "Assuming nothing else changes, would you like a wind turbine 1000 ft from your house?", most people would say no. However, neither of these are usually the real question that landowners have to answer. That question is usually "Would you live next to a wind turbine for $5,000-$10,000 per year?", and the answer is generally yes.
Most of the fear of wind turbines is driven by fear of the unknown, much like that of high voltage power lines in the 70's. Once people are around them for a few years (ie, those in southwest MN where turbines are abundant), they realize they're no big deal.
The fears about low frequency noise are based upon complete junk science which has been refuted 100 times over. Unfortunately, there's no law against putting junk on the internet.
Look at what we are already living with. I would much rather have a wind turbine in my backyard than a coal or gas plant anywhere in my general area.
At first I thought sure, what's the big deal. They are graceful machines I don't consider an eye sore and they produce energy in a manner I agree with. Then I googled low frequency sound pollution. The health effects are not something I would be willing to subject myself or my family to. One might not be so bad but not a whole farm of them. So yes I want them but not next to me.
I would be willing to live near a wind turbine. In a perfect world, I would prefer to live a good distance from any commercial or industrial facility or energy generating facility. If I had to choose whether to live near a wind turbine, or some other energy generating facility, I would definitely choose wind.
--Larry
I would be quite willing to live next to a wind turbine or wind farm. They have minimal physical impacts while supporting the rural economy with good jobs and tax revenue. Sound is minimal and other impacts are easily addressed. Thumbs up!
Oh yeah! If you've been near one you know they're quiet and clean. And if my options are next to a wind turbine or being anywhere near something like coal or nuclear I choose a wind turbine hands down. I'm sure there's a wrong way to install a wind turbine too close to houses, but there's a wrong way to do anything, so let's just plan thoroughly and seriously get moving on the clean energy front.
You Bet!
I would be willing to live next to a wind farm. This surely would beat living next to nuclear plant, which is an environmental health and national security threat. But let me add, we need to invest in energy efficiency and reduce our energy use first. Energy efficiency and stronger building codes is the low hanging fruit available now.
I'm 81 years old and remember when we used a windmill to pump water for our livestock and, later, to generate electricity for our small farm. Would I live near a wind farm? Absolutely! The whoosh of the large turbines would be a lot better to listen to than the squeak, squeak of the old windmill. I'm strongly in favor of community wind projects such as the Goodhue Wind Farm that allows Minnesota residents to reap the rewards of a renewable source of energy and money back to the Minnesota residents who invest in these projects. I might not like it as well if the turbine was owned by a company based overseas simply because there would be less economic return to the community.
In response to Gary F.: As a retired electrical engineer I can tell you there is no stray voltage with a wind turbine. Also, while some migratory birds may be impacted by turbines, I have never heard of it being an issue with pheasants. Wind farm developers have to do environmental impact studies and mitigate these concerns by careful & studied placement of the turbines within their footprint.
I would be willing to give it a try, with a reasonable setback for safety. Good building insulation and design could offset the noise. I might even become more energy-conscious with a visual reminder!
I have seen a lot of the negative news articles regarding the wind project in Goodhue County and went out to the existing wind project south of Dodge Center to see how bad it really is. After sitting underneath one for a while (yes, the wind was blowing) my opinion is they are a good thing and much of the negative commenting cannot be accurate. There is a lot more noise from other agricultural operations than from large wind turbines, and I'd live by one.
I'd be even happier if I got paid for living next to a wind turbine, and maybe this is some of the issue?
When I visited Denmark several years ago, there were windmills everywhere. The Danes made a rational decision that this was a wise choice to achieve petroleum independence and do their small part to save the earth. Nobody minded seeing them all around, and neither would I.
If I were living in the country or on the edge of a small town, and the farmer next door wanted to host a commercial wind turbine on his or her property, I would be supportive. I have no aesthetic complaints regarding wind generators, even the ones on 80-meter towers. Given a choice between looking at a wind turbine or a 3,500 sq. ft. house with an attached three-door garage, I'll take the turbine every time. Moreover, this form of energy production does not deplete its fuel source, not does it discharge pollutants into the environment. It should be our highest priority to invest in local, renewable forms of energy capture while we still have some wealth with which to accomplish this.
Heck no! Let's keep burning coal so that our kids continue to get asthma, our planet gets warmer and weirder, and we can keep being known around the world as the biggest polluters. Cheers to the status quo!!!
I would be proud to live near a wind farm, provided my home was set back the appropriate distance set forth by the State, which I believe an entirely adequate setback.
If I could have a wind turbine or 10 instead of the coal-fired power plant a few miles from my house, I'd take them in a heartbeat and breathe easier for the next 30 years.
I would be fine living next to a wind turbine and even a larger wind farm, especially if my community had an ownership interest in the project.
I don't consider the modest visual "pollution" a reason to object to a wind project. I like my pollution where I can keep an eye on it. I think that the invisible toxic pollution coming from coal plants (mercury, fine particulates, NOx, SOx and others) as business as usual are a far greater threat to my health and that of the children, than seeing wind turbines, which can be removed when their useful life is over. Try getting the mercury, NOx and SOx back after 25 or 30 years of polluting the fish, the streams, the trees and all the critters that breathe the air.
I am a farmer-investor in a community-based wind farm project. I can't wait to live near a turbine as it will mean an increase in income for my farm operation, it will provide a source of renewable energy that will supplement energy from less desirable sources, and it will bring increased tax revenues to our local communities and county.
The number of jobs and economic activity that these projects generate for the area businesses is tremendous: from hotels and restaurants, local construction, electrical and tiling companies and, most especially, the landowners.
There is NO research evidence to support any negative health affects from wind turbines. Most wind farm developers allow greater setbacks from residences than what the law requires to alleviate any noise issues. What noise does occur is often no greater than what someone would experience from normal household appliances or naturally occurring sounds such as winds blowing through trees.
It depends. I grew up and later bought my home in South Minneapolis under a flight path. I made the decision that living in the city near a lake was worth the noise.
If someone decided to build a wind farm on Calhoun, I would complain.
If I was compensated fairly for real losses, I might consent.
If I bought land near a wind farm in the country, it would be my choice.
It's a matter of choice and fairness. If choice is taken away people affected must be compensated.
Envionmentally? We need them.
Emotionally? I think wind turbines are majestic. They make me want to read Don Quixote again or War of the Worlds. I'd live within sight of a wind farm.
I live in Goodhue County as does most of my extended family. A year ago I would have expressed the same view as Radical Hippie. Today it's a different story.
I used to drive by wind farms in SE MN and think they were the coolest thing. I do everything I can to decrease my own personal pollution and I thought windmills were great. A few weeks ago I was talking to family members who live in the heart of this wind controversy. According to them, the wind company is playing dirty and doing whatever it takes to get this project in place.
My opinion now is that a perfectly wonderful renewable energy option has been hijacked by big corporations. Whenever that happens, nothing is done for the good of anyone but the corporations' pocket books.
Why does it have to be windmills OR nuclear power/coal mines? Last weekend I visited project Licht 'n stein in Lanesoboro, MN. Christian Milaster of the Bec!cause Group has built a home completely off the grid. What if we all did a fraction of what he has done to improve our individual energy consumption? Then we wouldn't need to be putting up huge wind farms in people's back yards.
An interesting side note - I googled Horizon wind who is one of the companies putting this together and found they used to be owned by Goldman Sachs.
As Daniel commented below, I believe I would rather live near a wind turbine than a nuclear power plant or coal mine. Yet, I don't know what true 'risks' living near a turbine or field of turbines would present. As far as low frequency noise pollution, I believe there are people who have serious problems resulting from being sensitive to low frequency noise. Personally, I have lived in both urban and rural settings and believe that there are health 'risks' no matter where one lives. Having lived in both Minneapolis and St. Paul, there was the constant din of freeway traffic all around me, not to mention air traffic and frequent sirens from emergency vehicles. Having grown up in a small rural community near a highway, we had frequent loud agricultural and construction traffic going by our house. Across the street were the train tracks where trains regularly passed throughout the day. There is noise pollution (or other types of pollution) in a variety of places that cannot be escaped. (I haven't been able to determine why but I am plagued with constant tinnitus--high-pitched ringing in my ears. I can't escape it, but I try not to think about it. If I did for too long, I think I would go insane.) We can find all sorts of problems and ailments to whine about when it comes to our well-being. When it comes to energy, we either give up our electronics and use less energy overall or we learn to find and use renewable resources, like wind. No matter what we do, there are consequences. Ultimately, we have to take the good with the bad and determine what is 'the lesser of all evils,' so to speak.
I live in the middle of a wind farm. Yes - you can definitely hear them, and if it is real windy I have a hard time sleeping and generally feel agitated due to the low frequency "pollution" they cause. If the wind is not blowing, they do not turn. And that seems to be more this year and last than I can recall in the past few years. With all of the fossil fuel that goes into making and erecting them, I feel our efforts would be better spent on promoting ways to conserve energy than putting up more windmills.
If my choices are coal- or gas-fired power plant, nuclear plant, or wind farm, I'd take the wind farm any day. I've seen large-scale wind farms like those out on Buffalo Ridge, and I will admit that the elegant, sculptural quality of an individual turbine is offset by a somewhat industrial feel when there are hundreds of them on the horizon. But we all need to look in the mirror and realize that, with our proliferation of electronic devices and flat screen TVs, WE create the need for increased power generation, from whatever source. If we are going to continue to create demand, then to me a wind turbine is the most innocuous source of power generation outside of hydroelectric, which is not happening in Minnesota.
I can't say that I would WANT to live next to a windmill or wind farm, however, if my city decided to put some in for a sustainable source of energy, I would be all for it. I think the technology is a no brainer, especially for SW MN because its already a naturally windy area of the state. And they look pretty cool too! I would rather get used to looking at a windmill farm than a coal plant or nuclear plant, thats for sure!
Any I would be living next to would be earning me money!
I lived in Pipestone for a few years in the mid-Aughts. The city put up a turbine to generate for the city. There were plenty of still, sticky days in Pipestone when that thing would still be turning merrily along. Gary F., it's genuinely rare for for the large, commercial turbines to not be turning.
As long as I also had a incoming service line from a coal or nuke fired plant to give me juice when it's not windy enough.
I remember back in 80's in central Minnesota and all the fight over running power lines through farmers fields. If the radiated current was bad for cattle, I presume it's bad for humans. But I'm not sure how much power each windmill makes and how much radiated energy comes off of it.
If I had a windmill, that would probably mean I'd be rural. Which then, I wonder if that would scare the pheasants off my land and my surrounding area. I'm a big Pheasants Forever guy, I'm not sure what they do for habitat.
Windmills are kinda "feel good" things, I don't need them on my property. Windmills will always be a supplemental source of power. Until a vast change in technology happens, we will still need to have power plants.
In a minute ...
Prior to the introduction of Rural Electrification, our country had a windmill on each farm. These windmill needed yearly greasing and maintenance, but they still would squeak and make many other sound as they reacted to the wind gust. But we didn't care, since it made our life easier. Now, with the advent of these majestic generator, it has seemed to cause a negative reaction, I believe, because some people want some thing to complain about. I have never heard about low frequency sound pollution. Someone tell me if it is real and can be heard beyond the required setback.
Yes, but maybe not too close. I lived in Northfield and thought the wind turbine there was a beautiful sight that represented a forward thinking community. But I've also heard the horror stories of people who live next to wind farms having issues with low frequency sound pollution. So, much like everything else: yes I want it, but not in my back yard!
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- Do you think Facebook is a passing fad?
- Will you be less likely to visit the Minnesota Zoo without its dolphins?
- Should authorities in the Twin Cities change the way they warn people about tornadoes?
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Your daily note for good music, news and pop culture. With attempted jokes.
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