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The Good and Bad of Wind Farms
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August 02, 2010
Editor:
Dave Uphoff
A few weeks ago the Woodford County Board approved the application for a wind farm between Minonk and Flanagan. Approximately 75 wind turbines up to 475 feet tall will be located in Minonk Township east of Minonk. The developers claim the turbines will generate enough electricity for 60,000 homes and is expected to annually generate over $1.5 million of property taxes for Woodford County and over $1 million for the Fieldcrest school district. Area farmers also will receive $5000 or more a year for each turbine located in their fields. That is the good news. The bad news is the uncertainty of the future of wind farms - whether they will become economically feasible or will eventually lose favor to more economical ways of generating energy, in which case they may become rusty relics of the past. Since the wind farm east of Minonk is foreign owned, guarantees need to be in place for dismantling the turbines if they become obsolete.The other bad news is that they are an eyesore on the countryside. I took a trip to the Odell area last week and drove through the maze of wind turbines located on the huge wind farm in that area. The corn and bean fields seem to be green patches pinned down by the never ending row of turbines transforming the pastoral setting into a science fiction scene. At night the scene becomes even more bizarre. As you drive on I-55 south from Chicago you will notice a vast array of red blinking lights emanating from the wind turbines around Odell. It can be seen from 30 miles away. This is the most disconcerting aspect of the wind turbines. Gone are the peaceful starlit nights that we are used to observing here in the countryside far away from the bright lights of a big metropolitan area.
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Everyone knows we need to develop alternate sources of energy whether it be solar, wind, natural gas or nuclear. We also need to cut back on our energy needs by driving more fuel efficient cars, utilize more public transportation, and make our homes more energy efficient. Just having wind farms is not enough. Life will be different as we gradually adapt to new sources of energy. One of the adaptations is to accept the fact that our countryside will no longer have the peaceful, bucolic setting we desire. I know studies have indicated otherwise, but wind farms have not been around long enough to establish a definite conclusion on their effect on property values. Future studies may show that the increase in property taxes from wind farms may be offset by the decline in residential property taxes. To see a video of the wind farm near Odell, click here. I will eventually have a video of the wind farm at night showing the red blinking lights.
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Talk User wrote on 8/7/2010 at 13:28:53
Dave,Good article on the wind farms.I believe they are a good choice for electricity. I would much rather have a wind turbine in my back yard than a coal fired power plant, belching out all the pollution. Or a nuclear power plant. If they could figure out a use for the waste from nuclear plants, then nuclear would be the way to go.
IronMask wrote on 8/4/2010 at 13:40:15
I have to disagree. I have driven by the Odell windfarm a number of times, and I like view. They might not be my first choice for a view, but there are much worse things that we could be stuck with (i.e. a garbage dump, race track . . .) It is a positive step that will lead us to greener energy solutions, and I am all for that. They are a small step towards the "bigger picture."
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