Seems there is a wee bit of a problem in Maine. Or, should I say so you can hear me, A WEE BIT OF A PROBLEM IN MAINE
Like nearly all of the residents on this island in Penobscot Bay, Art Lindgren and his wife, Cheryl, celebrated the arrival of three giant wind turbines late last year. That was before they were turned on.
“In the first 10 minutes, our jaws dropped to the ground,†Mr. Lindgren said. “Nobody in the area could believe it. They were so loud.â€
Now, the Lindgrens, along with a dozen or so neighbors living less than a mile from the $15 million wind facility here, say the industrial whoosh-and-whoop of the 123-foot blades is making life in this otherwise tranquil corner of the island unbearable.
They are among a small but growing number of families and homeowners across the country who say they have learned the hard way that wind power — a clean alternative to electricity from fossil fuels — is not without emissions of its own.
Lawsuits and complaints about turbine noise, vibrations and subsequent lost property value have cropped up in Illinois, Texas, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Massachusetts, among other states.
In one case in DeKalb County, Ill., at least 38 families have sued to have 100 turbines removed from a wind farm there. A judge rejected a motion to dismiss the case in June.
Now, for myself, this doesn’t turn me completely off on wind power. But, there is a place for everything, and, obviously, these are not the best places. Out in wide waterways or other areas where people can’t hear them are great. Near where people live. NOT SO GREAT.
Meanwhile, wind farms may change the weather (which creates climate). And, hey, look, wind farms cause night warming. Eh. I’m still in favor, but, like I wrote, in the right places. Oh, and near where Al Gore, James Cameron, and other alarmists live. We could put a whole bunch up in deep blue cities.
Which of Al’s and James’ home would you use? After all, important people like them have numerous houses with considerable electrical usage. This is only fair as they are far more important than us, the unwashed. The people in Maine should be humbled by the fact that they have been chosen to have such a project and to bring to fruition the desires of our betters.
So, you’re saying that wind turbines sometime suck? Heh.
Sheesh, a pun like that sure takes the wind out of their sales. It blows them away
I’d put one outside of every one of their homes. I’d put one a bunch on the grounds of the Capital building and outside the two buildings that the Senate and House critters have their offices in. Only the Republican majority leader would have the code to turn them off.
Amen Teach. Isn’t it “ironic” that these windmills only get built out in the countryside where red-staters live? They don’t seem to be built where blue-staters live.
I say build them in blue-state neighborhoods to power those neighborhoods. If they are so great as the libs say, then you should only need one for ever 10billion houses right? But then, I believe, they might need a few more.
If the blues feel comfortable with these giant blenders whirling above their homes, then I’ll consider installing more of them out in the beautiful countryside that they seem so damned energetic to protect at all cost.
captainfish – I read a great book, “Cape Wind”, about the east coast blue bloods battle to stop a wind farm off the coast of Nantucket. Opponents to the project included Ted Kennedy, of course, and John Kerrey, Walter Kronkite, and Mitt Romney. The book’s authors are envirolibs working for the project but when the fight gets nasty they start to realize the truth, sacrificing for the environment is only for the little people.
Quote:
“sacrificing for the environment is only for the little people.”
Exactly fozzy. That is their whole belief system. We must suffer to keep their lifestyle and comfort alive. Just look at how they live currently. Just look at their demands on how “we” should live. Just look at their demands on how “we” MUST live based on their regulations. Those regulations always have loopholes for them. They are doing FOR you after all.
Notice that there is hardly any news items when the libs stop these projects. Were there nation-wide protests and outrage over the cancellation of the massive solar projects in CA and NV by the libs and enviros?
Would there have been had conservative groups blocked those projects?
ahh yes the rich, don’t we all hate them ? Having all those different houses and always flying around in big jet airplanes and big SUVs while we ordinary people now are subjected to even MORE indignities by being forced to hear WIND MILLS !! so much worse than having to ride on the back of the plane.
Did anyone actually read the ENTIRE article that clearly stated that MOST of the people on Vinalhaven like the wind mills ? Or that the town voted 383 to FIVE to have them nstalled and that there electric bills are going DOWN and and are going to decrease even further because they will now be installing thermal chargers to store the unneeded power generated at night ?
Oh yeah Vinalhaven is also a well known summer community for wealthy Northeasteners from New York Philadelphia and Boston.
and from the article that Teach linked to
Vinalhaven’s wind farm enjoys support among most residents, from ardent supporters of all clean energy to those who simply say the turbines have reduced their power bills. Deckhands running the ferry sport turbine pins on their hats, and bumper stickers seen on the island declare “Spin, Baby, Spin.â€
“The majority of us like them,†said Jeannie Conway, who works at the island’s ferry office.
Perhaps some of you posters here should head on up there yourselves and check it out. I myself haven’t been there since the wind turbines have been put up, it is a bit pricey to stay overnight though. It has always been more a vacation place for the really old line blue bloods.
I would like to get one of their SPIN BABY SPIN bumper stickers.
Did you note the other link John?
http://fiwn.org/images/aug16data.png
To me, that looks like annoying noise…. constant.. annoying.. noise.
The first link states that at least 38 families are suing. And like most things, the further away you live from it, the better it is. I love my waste dump facility. It may be a 20 story 20-acre mound of trash, but I love it. It takes the trash out of my area and puts it somewhere else. But, I bet those who live around this trash mound don’t really like it. Especially when the strong southerly winds blow, blowing that trash and smell across their property lines.
Quote:
“A common refrain among homeowners grappling with sound issues, however, is that they were not accurately informed about the noise ahead of time. “They told us we wouldn’t hear it, or that it would be masked by the sound of the wind blowing through the trees,†said Sally Wylie, a former schoolteacher down the road from the Lindgrens. “I feel duped.â€
Similar conflicts are arising in Canada, Britain and other countries. An appeals court in Rennes, France, recently ordered an eight-turbine wind farm to shut down between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. so residents could get some sleep. “
Couple of ounces of C4 will cure that problem for ya, guys. Just sayin’…
heh heh heh
Mojo spreading his mojo around.
What you bet that this administration would call that eco-terrorism – a label they previously used for eco-nuts burning homes, cars, and businesses?
The problem is one of scale. Small windmills turn at a faster rate, but do not generate the same amount of power. Also there is the issue of wild birds flying into the faster spinning blades.
The noise and vibration issue from large windmills has been known for a long time.
The solution is vertical axis windmills. They do not have the same problems with noise and vibration. The problem they do have is that they are less efficient.
Until horizontal axis turbines can be scaled down, or vertical axis turbines can be scaled up, the problem will continue to exist.
Wind power and solar power are supplemental power sources at best until the technical issues can be solved.