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Not much future for windpower in Vermont


By wildbill hickup, Section Reviews
Posted on Thu Sep 07, 2006 at 02:35:31 PM MST
Just an FYI for other woodchucks on the board

From an artical in the Caledonian Record Sept 2, 2006

Well after 5 years of trying it looks like the windfarn in East Haven Vermont is finaly dead. Yet one more study 'Birds and Bats' seems to be the latest excuse. The owner of the East Haven Mountain and the proposed location (an old USAF radar base) on top said that he will no longer continue to persue the project until energy laws in the state are changed. In addition to that I have also just read in the local paper that our elustrious leader Gov Jim Douglas it now on record saying that industrial wind turbines are not worth spoiling the view for only 6% or our power requirements. But he remained sorta vague on another nuk plant in the state and they just turned our antique Yankey Nuclear Plant up anonther 20% even though they can't figure out where to store the spent fuel rods,(I wonder what the landscape will look like when that goes boom). I think the thing that really bothered me about the govenors statement was that he wants to encorrage the develpoment of small scale wind generators for 'pivate' individuals, something in the realm of 1 meter wide, low altitude, OH BOY one meter. Sounds more like a politicians way of nicely saying LIMIT size to 1 meter. Well at least I know my LED lighting system is safe.

The last special town meeting I went to in reguards to a windfarm in Sheffield/Sutton (I am a resident of Sutton) my wife and I were among the miniscule minority that voted for that, and while the actual discisson is not really up to the townspeople (some commission will decide) with elections coming up that one is probably dead, too.

I don't know how many that read this are familiar with the 'Blue Collar Comedy Tour' namly Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Egval, Ron White, and Larry The Cable Guy', but one of Ron White's comments comes to mind after reading all this. 'YOU CAN'T FIX STUPID'

Wildbill

Not much future for windpower in Vermont | 6 comments (6 topical)

Re: Not much future for windpower in Vermont (3.00 / 0) (#1)
by Gary D on Thu Sep 07, 2006 at 09:25:04 AM MST

Gee a 3 footer can produce about 160 watts in a 25 mph breeze! He's really thinking of "ahem" helping folks produce a lot of juice.... Yet a 14 footer can produce about 230 watts at 10 mph. vs. about 10 watts for a 3 footer. Could he allow/want everyone to build/buy 23 3 footers for the same power? That would really look great! And cut any trees down within 500 feet of each person's mills.....
   Yesterday's thinking won't work forever, or will it? Hope someone can change the average person's thinking towards the future(abby normal here), feel for ya...  Gary D.



Re: Not much future for windpower in Vermont (3.00 / 0) (#2)
by scottsAI on Thu Sep 07, 2006 at 08:52:20 PM MST

This was from an old post of mine, link was broken, so here is a new one.

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2006-02-23-windmills-midwest_x.htm

Maybe contact that town, find how they got people to realize wind was a good thing, not an eye sore.
Most people like to watch the wind mills, so where is the eye sore?

I often wonder where people think birds get killed? They state it as a FACT.
All you have to ask is to see the study. Because if they come up with one you know it's BS.
Birds and bats do NOT fly into wind mills.
Then ask how many have bay windows in their house?
My grand parents had 3 bay windows, 3-12 birds died flying into them each week.

To get this changed you know somebody is going to have to do something?
Maybe that person is you??
Have fun,
Scott.



Re: Not much future for windpower in Vermont (3.00 / 0) (#3)
by wildbill hickup on Fri Sep 08, 2006 at 04:10:45 AM MST

Oh, we have a few pro-wind people in the state and even a wind farm in Searsburg. The WPV (Wind Power of Vermont) even sponcered bus trips to Searsburg. Just about the only folks that would go were pro-winders. And then we have the political naysayers namely 'Save the Vermont Ridges' that put up this big clamer that wind farms will ruin our scenic landscapes and they do a very good job of it. I got one of ther fliers in the mail one time. They make thier point very convincing with all the fancy buzzz words and if you don't know anything about wind or wind power they make the whole thing sound absolutely diabolical. However anyone knowing even something about wind and it's energy can planly see their flyer has absolutly no data in it and is nothing but a bunch of BS. BUT IT SOUNDS GOOD!!!!

The guy in East Haven has been through court hearing after court hearing and has completed study after study and it's only for a small wind farm of four turbines, he was quoted in the paper as saying 'those four turbine would kill as many birds as four cats' and according to him a small project is excempt from a 'bird and bat study' that seems to include some very expencive radar study. He at one point even offered to turn the whole mountain (except the top where the old radar base is) into a public recreational area FREE, he has just decided to give up and frankly I don't blame him at all. I can't imagine how much money he has spent so-far and he will not say, but it has to have been somewhere in the seven figure range. His biggest problem is that the next mountain over is Burke Mountain Ski Area and guess what, they don't want their skiers to have to look at a 'unsightly' wind farm, that's the PROBLEM, and the folks that own that have very, very biggggg pockets. There was a rumor going around for awhile that they even offered to buy East Haven Mountain from him, he refused and now the 'bird and bat study' comes up. Doesn't take to much imagination to figure out who got that going, now does it????

Same thing applies at the Sheffield/Sutton site, a very high priced boarding school (that used to be a magnificent 3500+ acre dairy farm and maple surup producer mind you) claims that it would have to close because the visual, and audible impact of the turbines would have a detramental scicological effect on it's students, what a bunch of horse &^%&, but it worked if I remember correctly, of the folks that showed up for the meeting the vote was something like 230 something to 27 against the project. And pretty much everyone there new I have a wind turbine in my back yard(it's a very small town). Well here is just an example of how rediculus this is. It took over a year of permits and planning to get permission to erect two 'antenna' towers (I'm not sure of the height) say less than 100 feet with wind measuring devices on them. You have to strain your eyes just to see them. Now just to be fair to some, the project preposers come along (and shoot themselves in the foot) with a plan to install 18 turbines close to 500 feet high with 200 and something foot blades (I don't remember the exact dimentions right now, but even in my imagination they were huge) I do think it was a bit of overkill and they managed to scare the hell out of everybody. The turbines in Searsburg are half that size.

Well this sub-rant has gone on long enough I just hope I can put together a tower and get my 3HP Baldor conversion up before they won't let me do it. I don't even think I could get it to turn with a 1 meter. :-)

Wildbill  

[ Parent ]



Re: Not much future for windpower in Vermont (3.00 / 0) (#4)
by scottsAI on Fri Sep 08, 2006 at 08:29:12 AM MST

Interesting.

I was under the impression the federal gov passed laws, about local
rulings for RE, could not prevent you from using your natural resources; solar,
wind, hydro. Reasonable (limited) restrictions, and NO (limited) delays
for personal use. This included costly study etc. I even believe there
is a federal mandate to the states to support RE, have to show they do
or there are significant federal $ they can lose.

I live in MI, we had similar problems until the changes in federal laws.
We now have several wind farms in some great locations. Even tourist
locations, they come to see them! Get as much traffic as some of the
better known places. Travels city. Laws much like the 1996 antenna laws.
Oops got to go.
Have fun,
Scott.


[ Parent ]



Re: Not much future for windpower in Vermont (3.00 / 0) (#5)
by greenmonkey on Tue Nov 07, 2006 at 05:08:29 AM MST

I must agree with Ron White. However, his comment seems vague. You can't fix stupid...is he pertaining to stupid as in stupid people? I'd like to think that he meant stupid as in if you can't fix it your stupid. Would you mind clarifying this for me please ?



Re: Not much future for windpower in Vermont (3.00 / 0) (#6)
by lohearth on Tue Nov 07, 2006 at 07:20:52 AM MST

  He meant stupid people. Ignorance can be cured, stupid is forever.
Strange..it wasn't suppose to do that.
[ Parent ]


Not much future for windpower in Vermont | 6 comments (6 topical)
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