Windmill Farms

Devildog

Devildog

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    • Aug 24, 2013
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    #1
    I’m looking for any personal experience you have had with windmill farms.

    In my AO they are wanting to put in a windmill farm. I‘m personally against it and there is a public meeting this week that I’m going to try to attend and I’m trying to gather as much info as I can.

    I’m open to hearing both sides of this argument so give it to me!
     
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    #5
    Birds die all the time flying into those and getting batted into the next county. "And....and... and it's over the wall! Someone's got a busted windshield!"

    They take up a lot of space. Maintenance is hugely expensive. It takes money to hire guys who can work on those. In addition, when one of those catches on fire, there is nowhere for the workers to go. And parachutes would work like aggie parachutes, i.e., opening on impact. The return of generated electricity is not worth the expense, therefore, it has to be subsidized by your tax dollars. Guess what pays for itself? Natural gas and oil. Because those are still the cheapest and most effective forms of energy generation.

    Hydroelectric dams are even better and more productive than wind farms.

    I am a science kind of guy and I like gadgets and new inventions. That being said, I am trying to think of reasons for having wind farms and I am drawing a blank.

    I mean, I see a house using one. Still, it is not going to generate a lot. Just like solar does not result in a lot of useful 240 volt single phase power at 200 amps (actually, electric companies bring you 67% of calculated load. I learned that from a guy from Texas-New Mexico Power who was turning the juice on to a 4 unit strip business center I had just built the service for.)
     
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    #8
    Bullfrog08 said:
    They are loud out to 1 mile. If youre beyond that dont waste your time. Green intiatives and women will trump your concerns everyday......
    Click to expand...

    That’s what I’m afraid of. I live in NE Kansas, the whole state is red but the county I live in and one other. We have a shit ton of fanatical liberal city folk and the university in town makes it worse.

    I have 33 acres in the country, us country folk are a minority to the city dwellers. They’ll be screaming climate change and save the planet and not give one fu$k about those of us that are affected.

    It’s a money making scheme for a hedge fund company. Money and greed drive this shit!
     
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    #9
    If this is on your land, you are basically signing over any rights to improve your property to them.

    From what I understand, you cannot plant a tree or put up any building without their permission as it might change the wind patterns. It would be nice if someone could verify that that has one on their farm.

    My cousin ran into a couple of lawyers that had the fore site to get a map of the wind patterns in our state and then purchase the farm (land) that was likely to be used. They were right most of the time and the wind-farm is paying for the mortgage payments. The farm income is then above that, so they are making pretty good money.

    They are highly subsidized by the feds to put them up as most have pointed out, and the cost of maintenance has been underestimated from the articles that I have read.

    Another article I came across has pointed out that the electric grid cannot handle the load at the peak of the present wind farms here in this state, (iowa), It (transmission grid) can only handle about 60% from what I have seen. Would like that to be verified as well.

    Only other thing I have read is that farmers that live in them claim that a very low frequency that is felt rather than heard can be distributing enough that some have moved away from the windmill itself.

    I don't have any links to what I have read before. If you put in a search for the low frequency there are a lot of articles on it.
     
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    #11
    Advisors (special interest) guide elected to enhance the quality of life of the peasant while furthering whatever the cause of greater good is.
    Unfortunately the ends don't always justify the investment, this is just a small portion of what NY taxpayers allowed Prince Andrew to squander away.
    (It always appears these contracts are awarded at a total cost and then the project always seems to have additional cost overruns.)
    www.wgrz.com

    New York State Thruway Authority loses lawsuit over non-functioning windmills

    Thruway spent $5 million on wind turbines that failed, and a judge says it was not the fault of the manufacturer, installers, or consulting engineers as suit claimed
    www.wgrz.com www.wgrz.com
     
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    #12
    What’s not to like?
    47338165-D3A8-427E-8530-A1F93F1A3B06.jpeg
    2DE5C09D-AA5C-4EE8-8761-E0FC382355AB.jpeg
    F7242A46-144E-4A3D-8538-D7E38A7FC6E0.jpeg
     
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    #13
    Devildog said:
    That’s what I’m afraid of. I live in NE Kansas, the whole state is red but the county I live in and one other. We have a shit ton of fanatical liberal city folk and the university in town makes it worse.

    I have 33 acres in the country, us country folk are a minority to the city dwellers. They’ll be screaming climate change and save the planet and not give one fu$k about those of us that are affected.

    It’s a money making scheme for a hedge fund company. Money and greed drive this shit!
    Click to expand...
    You live in the Dot?
     
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    #14
    Marinevet1 said:
    You live in the Dot?
    Click to expand...
    Unfortunately, it hasn’t always been that way but it’s getting worse everyday. Homeless camps are springing up all over town with all the problems that come with them.

    Family and my business is the only reason I stick around. When my dad passes and I retire I’m getting out of here.
     
    #15
    mgoodrich said:
    If this is on your land, you are basically signing over any rights to improve your property to them.

    From what I understand, you cannot plant a tree or put up any building without their permission as it might change the wind patterns. It would be nice if someone could verify that that has one on their farm.

    My cousin ran into a couple of lawyers that had the fore site to get a map of the wind patterns in our state and then purchase the farm (land) that was likely to be used. They were right most of the time and the wind-farm is paying for the mortgage payments. The farm income is then above that, so they are making pretty good money.

    They are highly subsidized by the feds to put them up as most have pointed out, and the cost of maintenance has been underestimated from the articles that I have read.

    Another article I came across has pointed out that the electric grid cannot handle the load at the peak of the present wind farms here in this state, (iowa), It (transmission grid) can only handle about 60% from what I have seen. Would like that to be verified as well.

    Only other thing I have read is that farmers that live in them claim that a very low frequency that is felt rather than heard can be distributing enough that some have moved away from the windmill itself.

    I don't have any links to what I have read before. If you put in a search for the low frequency there are a lot of articles on it.
    Click to expand...
    I would never allow this on my land.

    NE Kansas is actually a pretty place, lots of hills, rivers some lakes and lots of trees. Hope they don’t screw it up with the windmills.
     
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    #16
    Here's an article on the number of Golden & Bald Eagle killing permits issued to windfarms.

    apnews.com

    Criminal cases for killing eagles decline as wind turbine dangers grow

    ROLLING HILLS, Wyo. (AP) — Criminal cases brought by U.S. wildlife officials for killing or harming protected bald and golden eagles dropped sharply in recent years, even as officials ramped up issuing permits that will allow wind energy companies to kill thousands of eagles without legal consequenc
    apnews.com apnews.com
     
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    #17
    Devildog said:
    I would never allow this on my land.

    NE Kansas is actually a pretty place, lots of hills, rivers some lakes and lots of trees. Hope they don’t screw it up with the windmills.
    Click to expand...
    My wife is from south Texas and when we would visit her parents when they were alive, you would see oil wells here and there. An oil well is a well, pump, and a pipe that runs to a refinery, all underground. Sitting on a 20' x 20' pad. The rest is active farmland and deer run through there all the time. I have seen deer from the highway. Point being, oil is still the most efficient and least invasive way of getting energy.

    Same difference with natural gas. Where I live, we get electricity from natural gas. But there is some juice from the generators on a big lake that was dammed for the purpose of power generation and recreational activities. I fish there, now and then. Catch a big and sweet catfish now and then.
     
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    #18
    Downtown said:
    Here's an article on the number of Golden & Bald Eagle killing permits issued to windfarms.

    apnews.com

    Criminal cases for killing eagles decline as wind turbine dangers grow

    ROLLING HILLS, Wyo. (AP) — Criminal cases brought by U.S. wildlife officials for killing or harming protected bald and golden eagles dropped sharply in recent years, even as officials ramped up issuing permits that will allow wind energy companies to kill thousands of eagles without legal consequenc
    apnews.com apnews.com
    Click to expand...
    We actually have a pretty large population of Bald Eagles here. Thanks for the article
     
    #19
    The noise sucks. The blinking lights ruined our awesome dark sky at our place in lingleville Texas. They puke more fluids out than bastardized oil and gas weeks. They randomly catch on fire, there have been two near our place that have burned to the ground.
     
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    #23
    Devildog said:
    I’m looking for any personal experience you have had with windmill farms.

    In my AO they are wanting to put in a windmill farm. I‘m personally against it and there is a public meeting this week that I’m going to try to attend and I’m trying to gather as much info as I can.

    I’m open to hearing both sides of this argument so give it to me!
    Click to expand...
    Why are you against them ?
     
    #25
    To the best of my recollection. It was around 2008 that a wind farm was installed across a ridge of hills in a predominantly agricultural community
    forget the exact number of windmills. It was definitely a split opinion from the local community. The locals closed ranks and the majority was apposed to the project, the project went ahead anyway. After completion of phase-one the wife and I took a weekend drive out sightseeing, one of the biggest take aways, you build house and work a properTy, then some engineer says the exact spot for this big fan is in your front yard. Not sure if people got compensated fairly. Then many of these windmills got installed close enough but not close enough for people to move away from their homes. So for them sympathy, you lived in that area for a reason surrounded by nature and now 100 yards away a giant windmill exists. Standing outside the perimeter fence listing to the blades sweeping a noise was present but there was also a feeling but possibly just empty emotion from the moment. Pretty much things settled in once the windfarm was online, we moved away 7, years later att no news worthy incidents occurred. Myself neither pro or con but then again I wasn’t directly affected. Think the appearance in the landscape is subjective to the individual, would you rather have a cell tower in view or windmill, how about a nice tower run of electrical transmission lines, probably back in the day people complained about telegraph poles. Think for me is how much of an investment is the wind farm costing, how many decades will it take to pay it off? Fumbling around for information online it would appear windmills made 25 years ago are no longer efficient and need replacing, are these newer gen.2 mills being built to accommodate upgrades or simply going to a landfill? Could the money spent today on a windmill be better spent on the electric grid making better use of what already exists, something they the people selling windmills don’t want to disclose?

    Wind Energy Power Systems & Solutions | GE Renewable Energy

    www.ge.com www.ge.com
     
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    #27
    Vinalhaven, ME

    Camden Hills Regional HS

    The one at the HS spun for at least a year, before any of the lib shitbags that wanted it, found out it wasn't even generating electricity 😳 🤦‍♂️

    Did the set up for the big news release when the island ones fired up. The one they did their big reveal in front of, was off for quite some time. Those ones are quite large. Watching them drag up and then ferry the 123' blades out there was a trip. The alternator(?) type rig on top, that the blades connect to, is the size of a tri-axle. And somehow, they can climb straight through it to the top. I'm still not sure they're doing their job to this day.

    Shitty eye sore it is; looking out across the bays, and even though it's only 3, your eyes are immediately drawn to the 3 bird bangers on the tip of the island.
     
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    #29
    the windmill farms i saw in cali were vast and looked like junkyards from all the broken windmills and parts laying there. if i remember correctly, there were about as many visibly broken than there were working. some of them you couldnt see damage, but they were not actively spinning.

    as was said earlier, it's a gubment scam loaded with kickbacks to politicians. and you can bet the ones pushing for it are on the kickback gravy train....why do you suppose they are so staunch in their support when the public is against it? because they are getting PAID.
     
    #33
    There is no evidence that they are cost effective or environmentally friendly. NONE. I am nearly surrounded by these fucking things, although the closest ones are about 7 miles from me. The left will not quit and I fear they will soon be everywhere.
     
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    #34
    sakoguy21 said:
    There is no evidence that they are cost effective or environmentally friendly. NONE. I am nearly surrounded by these fucking things, although the closest ones are about 7 miles from me. The left will not quit and I fear they will soon be everywhere.
    Click to expand...
    No, not everywhere. Just where the plebes live. There will never be a single one within sight of Martha's Vineyard
     
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    #35
    Rthur said:
    What's the carbon footprint of 100 yard of concrete?
    This is what we were told each one ,locally, required as the base.

    R
    Click to expand...
    One of my buddies that's in the steel industry had the number for the steel components only.
    I think it was like.10+ years to equalize with a 4MW turbine in West Texas.

    The ones near us have way more than 100 yards in the base.
     
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    #36
    There are a bunch just past the 1350 yd line at Fouled Bore where I shoot. I'm thinking they make nice movers at 3500 yds or so. :D
     
    #37
    Anyone else driven past the dead blade farms?

    The blades have a limited useful life, and there is no place to put them. They’re incredibly rugged. There’s nothing worthwhile in them to recycle. So they’re just piling them up

    I’ve only been by one dead Blade farm in New York State. There’s only 100 or so blades there and it’s a fucking mountain.
     
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    #38
    extremely loud during the day and night. They don’t turn off until the wind slows. sunsets will be replaced with flashing red lights. Property values will decrease Depending on proximity to a turbine. I know several locations that neighbors Have hired lawyers. one turbine Company paid out a lump sum and one town was able to ban them within an 8 mile radius.
     
    #39
    Enjoy the noise, they make a shit ton of noise endlessly for those who live close. You will fucking hate it. They also kill a shit ton of birds, about 2 per hour, per windmill. They raise soil temps and you get more rats and mice and bugs surviving the winter. Compared to every other form of power, they suck. They are only running about 15% of rated capacity on their best days.

    And for idiots who sign leases, a ton of companies do not include removal or remedial actions when they leak 2,000 gallons of oil onto your property nor do they include removal of the worn out, broken and dead equipment at the end of the lease. You might make money short term but you get fucked in the long run.

    Yeah, I worked for a utility company and it is all true.
     
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    #40
    Fuck no and it’s a hill worth your bodily sacrifice. If enough of your fellow neighbors sign on they will eventually imminent domain your land and you’ll end living with a windmill 15m from your front door.

    Then a couple years later the company will go to the county and claim your house is blocking the wind. You’ll be served an eviction notice and a bill for the demolition of your home. If you get lucky the county will provide you with a FEMA trailer and bill for its use.

    It’s for the children, you should happily carry the burden.
     
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    #41
    Devildog said:
    I would never allow this on my land.

    NE Kansas is actually a pretty place, lots of hills, rivers some lakes and lots of trees. Hope they don’t screw it up with the windmills.
    Click to expand...
    Central KS is full of the fucking things.
    West of the i35 along the i70 corridor....Salina area roughly.
    From about Wilson to Junction City.
    At least half of them are in "feathered" mode (blades rotated to not turn with the wind).
    It's mostly cattle grazing land so it could be worse, but the sellout fucking ranchers are idiots.

    You would think with the near constant winds we get here they would be running all the time to produce energy for *somewhere* but it just doesn't work that way.
    I can only see 1 from my place and thankfully it's a privately owned unit used to power a rancher/farmers personal needs.
    It's a smaller one, but it's still probably 100 foot tall with 40-50 foot blades.
     
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    #43
    I worked for a steel company that counted on turbines as a MAJOR component of their bottom line. There was never a meeting that didn’t include jokes about how big a joke these things are and how they might as well just have been blanketing the ground with plate for the sake of changing the scenery.
     
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    #46
    Don't do it. I fought them the whole time. Yet they convinced enough landowners (that don't live here on their land) and built them all around me, so I still have to see and hear them. The closest one to my house is just over 1/2 mile. They are a giant eye sore and not green. Talking with one of the engineers when they came around here to sell the idea. I asked how long do they last vs how long before they break even and pay for themselves. Was told they last about 20 years, but would take 30 years to break even on what they produce. Therefore they are largely subsidized from government...So your paying for them anyway. Wind turbines are like strippers. They stop working when you stop throwing money at them.
     
    #48
    My wife worked for .gov on wind energy projects. The ONLY reason they are being built is they are heavily subsidized by the federal gov. They are a scam.

    and....They are an eyesore, they kill birds like a starving Laotion, the low freq sound is what I can't stand.
     
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    #49
    After I started my solar project I started to look into wind turbines. I had one on my motor home back when I was racing and still have it. It charged the batteries on the motor home fairly well, but that was 3 days max, and race tracks are always windy. Heartland, Hallett, the Rovals not so much.

    They do work but not well. In checking into it again now, the home units that are rated at 500W the people are lucky to get 100W out of them. And these are high end units.

    Yes, I do agree it is a fad, and really what they cost to put up and take care of does not offset at all.

    Scale up this video and you have a wind farm. And from the one on the motor home, yes they do make quite a bit of noise if they are anything like the small ones.

     
    #50
    fpgt72 said:
    After I started my solar project I started to look into wind turbines. I had one on my motor home back when I was racing and still have it. It charged the batteries on the motor home fairly well, but that was 3 days max, and race tracks are always windy. Heartland, Hallett, the Rovals not so much.

    They do work but not well. In checking into it again now, the home units that are rated at 500W the people are lucky to get 100W out of them. And these are high end units.

    Yes, I do agree it is a fad, and really what they cost to put up and take care of does not offset at all.

    Scale up this video and you have a wind farm. And from the one on the motor home, yes they do make quite a bit of noise if they are anything like the small ones.

    Click to expand...


    pretty wealthy guy i know set up his home with a wind turbine to help offset his house out in the country. he knew it wasnt going to be the best investment and he said the ROI break even point was 30 years.
     
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