Anyone close to a wind farm?

What has been your experience? 

?Experience as far as noise, disturbing cattle... ...?

  BENTON CO. IND HAS HUNDRES OF THEM

I saw a TV program about it last year, seems cattle get used to the whoosh,whoosh fairly fast, farmers get used to the steady income faster !!

I can see them, I don't hear them, even when closer.

Gerald J.

Well, I'm the Planning Commission Chair in our township and Duke Energy is proposing a wind farm here. We are in a farm/resort area on the coast of Lake Michigan. I've spent hundreds of hours looking at information about these projects and their affects on the people and area around them. I was hoping to hear some real life experiences from some great down to earth folks like we have on here. Sounds like my job could get interesting! Oh well, @ $25.00/month compensation I guess it's about time I earn my keep. lol

Wind power is very clean but no matter how we make power somebody is going to complain about it, probably as they are using it.

The additional cost would be submitted with justification by the utilities in their rate case to the Public Service Commission. The Public Service Commission would make the decision if all or part of the rate case was justified, and the justified portion would be passed on to the consumer to pay as part of their utility bill. 

The contractual provisions of the termination vary, and are written into the individual contracts with the landowner. Typically the utility has the responsibility to demo and restore when the useful life is ended for any reason.

I haven't been following the ones around here that close, but the one in the county north of me isn't being built by the power utility.  It's being built by a private, out of state company who will then sell power to the utility.  I don't know what would happen if the company building the project went belly-up when the windmills started to wear out.  Like a lot of companies, they will likely have few assets outside of the windmills themselves.

Edited by 427435 - 24 Nov 2010 at 10:35pm

You're mixing apples and oranges, Lou. I was answering the question on wind power contracts with land owners. You referred to answering Scott's question and Brad's concern on wind power. I believe my answers to be accurate on that subject. We have a few wind farms, and I've been involved in some of those contracts through the developers.

Edited by GBACBFan - 24 Nov 2010 at 11:42pm

It is a good idea to involve an attorney, Dave, to make sure the contract balances the risk. It's a bit of a scare tactic on his part when he says they promise everything but will try to follow through on as little as possible during and after construction. You need to remember he's only making money when the meter's running. That said, once you get a contract in place, the developer, or utility if you're dealing direct, are bound by the terms of the agreement, and will find it difficult not to follow through on anything within the four corners of the agreement.

Edited by GBACBFan - 25 Nov 2010 at 12:31am

My brothers farm is surrounded by them. No noticable problems. dont scare the cows.

Keep in mind that wind power is not cheap power.  The utilities around here are using the Minnesota requirement that they must use X% wind power in their grids to raise rates.

the problem is they are not economical. Federal Govt  gives third party supplier money to build the inefficient unit, the turns around and forces the local power company to buy the power at high price and turn around and peddle it as "green" They force a given percent of the electric companys power to be "green". Power company must then go to the regulatory commision and ask for rate increase. If it is yes... YOU PAY.  If it is no, the company gets screwed and dones not have resources to maintain the system and you have future blakcouts or down time.  Somewhere down the road when the govt stops subsidizing, eithe the system goes belly up, or local regulatory group is forcing individuals to pay  2 or 3 x as much for your power to pay for the inefficient things... and their life span is about 8-10 years---- MAYBE!