WY Windmills

[trasko]

Ok I see. First 3 responses and all are what I can already get behind: They are an eye sore. Especially in an otherwise untouched area. So I hear you. That's true. I find *operational* wind turbines to be a minor nuisance. Disabled ones, however, are just terrible to look at. And there are plenty in California. I imagine remediation to be relatively straight forward compared to millions of gallons of toxins in holding ponds or the like but it must not be free if they just leave them there like that.

 

[marshman]

In the not too distant future, these things will come back down, with everyone saying,
like what were they thinking
Horrible eye pollution, the dam things are everywhere now.

 

[Irrelevant]

Ok I see. First 3 responses and all are what I can already get behind: They are an eye sore. Especially in an otherwise untouched area. So I hear you. That's true. I find *operational* wind turbines to be a minor nuisance. Disabled ones, however, are just terrible to look at. And there are plenty in California. I imagine remediation to be relatively straight forward compared to millions of gallons of toxins in holding ponds or the like but it must not be free if they just leave them there like that.

I like birds. https://www.fws.gov/birds/bird-enthusiasts/threats-to-birds/collisions/wind-turbines.php

I like habitat, have you ever seen a "reclaimed" wind farm? Me either, so they are effectively permanent develop. Not that in this case it's a whole lot different that the other options.

They make it very difficult to manage the power grid. We have the issue here in WA where wind is considered green and hydo is not. So when the wind blows in the spring, hydro literally direct discharges to the ground. Our neighboring PUD is working on building a hydrogen plant as a way to utilize the excess hydro power, that is only excess because wind power overloads the systems at various times.

I don't have a dog in this particular fight, so I could care less either way, I just thought is was crazy how damn big these are going to be.

 

[ccc23454]

I crack up camping in midwest, them things are everywhere and the synched red blinks are annoying as hell...lol. at least in wyoming we have mountains to break up landscape but its getting ridiculous

 

[jtm307]

Where's the Monkey Wrench Gang when you need them?

 

[Carl 9.3x62]

This is right in the middle of the planned windmill farm.

 

[TheGrayRider]

I am so glad and blessed during the ‘80s and ‘90s that I got to travel and see the landscapes in states like Iowa, Texas, and Oklahoma before the scattering of these windmills.

The windmills remind me of the old, abandoned smoke stacks in so many cities and towns throughout our country. Eyesores.

I also remember the elites like the late Senator Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts raising a lot of hell opposing windmills around the Cape Cod area. I don’t know if they ever built them there. Not in my backyard!

I think decades in the far future, people will ponder what a landscape like Wyoming would have looked like without those windmills. Progress?

 

[F250]

IMHO wind farms are ugly, noisy, and I don't like them.

 

[beginnerhunter]

Public Lands Renewable Energy Development Act Benefits Wildlife, Hunters

Backcountry Hunters & Anglers is the voice for our wild public lands, waters and wildlife.

www.backcountryhunters.org

BHA: The GOP wants to sell YOUR public land! We must stop this!

Me: Dang, sounds bad. Here's my money.

*GOP largely abandons effort, loses elections*

BHA: Cool. Now let me tell you why you should give up some of your public lands...

 

[trasko]

Thanks folks for the feedback. Sounds like most people really just don't like their appearance on the landscape. Quite understandable. No power generation plant is probably great to look at compared to nature but these turbines are spread over miles and miles instead of one single location.

Personally speaking and from my limited research I'm not against wind farms. Like most all structures we build now they will be gone in 100 or 300 or 1000 years. Technology will advance. But right this second they are generating power more cleanly than most alternatives. The potential risk to the planet and future humans is too great to not do what we can right now. Just my opinion. I think we all really have our work cut out for us if we hope for Americans to be hunting elk and antelope on the plains of Wyoming in 300-1000 years. Ironically, I think these ugly structures are actually a step in the right direction.

 

[Otto Matic]

Thanks folks for the feedback. Sounds like most people really just don't like their appearance on the landscape. Quite understandable. No power generation plant is probably great to look at compared to nature but these turbines are spread over miles and miles instead of one single location.

Personally speaking and from my limited research I'm not against wind farms. Like most all structures we build now they will be gone in 100 or 300 or 1000 years. Technology will advance. But right this second they are generating power more cleanly than most alternatives. The potential risk to the planet and future humans is too great to not do what we can right now. Just my opinion. I think we all really have our work cut out for us if we hope for Americans to be hunting elk and antelope on the plains of Wyoming in 300-1000 years. Ironically, I think these ugly structures are actually a step in the right direction.

I get edgy, my mind goes numb and my eyes cross and water profusely when reading "technical" materials.
This has to be, by far, one of the best articles I've read on the wind/fossil fuel argument I've seen.

All this material is out there on the web for anybody with even the least amount of imagination to find.

Can You Make a Wind Turbine Without Fossil Fuels?

Various scenarios have been put forward showing that 100% renewable energy is achievable. Some of them even claim that we can move completely away from fossil fuels in only couple of decades. A world entirely...

energycentral.com

Enjoy!

 

[Redman]

There is nothing good about them. Also investigate who owns them! The ones around me in the Hoosier state were being installed by BP British Petroleum...so they can get American money and tax breaks!

 

[alwayshunting]

IMHO wind farms are ugly, noisy, and I don't like them.

Many negatives have been stated, but the one that really surprised me when some were installed in an area I hunt was the noise. When you are near them on a windy day it sounds like plane after plane is flying over you. Also the the blade tips on the skyline constantly are catching your eye as game movement.

For the amount of energy produced I would much rather have oil wells or a coal mine that has a huge impact in one area instead of the impact being spread out over a broad area and visible from many miles away.

 

[2rocky]

While I admit I don't like the visual impact, it appears that according to a Life Cycle Analysis, it is a net positive for Air Quality. That is the main driver of the environmental endorsement.

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/76a98742c5724205ae509eabbb83cacc

Other studies have used LCA to compare the environmental impacts of wind turbines to other sources of energy with the same amount of power generation, such as coal power plants, in order to quantify how much more environmentally friendly wind turbines are relative to other sources of energy (Xue et al, 2015). In their study, Xue et al (2015) determined that wind power plants release 1/40 of the CO2 emissions produced by coal power plants, and significantly decrease the amount of air pollutants released (Fig 4).

 

[wytex]

Ok I see. First 3 responses and all are what I can already get behind: They are an eye sore. Especially in an otherwise untouched area. So I hear you. That's true. I find *operational* wind turbines to be a minor nuisance. Disabled ones, however, are just terrible to look at. And there are plenty in California. I imagine remediation to be relatively straight forward compared to millions of gallons of toxins in holding ponds or the like but it must not be free if they just leave them there like that.

Do you live near one ? Have to deal with the strobe affect of the blades on the low sun angle in winter, the noise you can hear from miles away while they rotate, blinking lights all night ?
This project has pitted neighbors against each other and is quite ugly right now.
Blades from a wind farm to our north are currently not recycled but taken to a special spot in a landfill outside of Cheyenne and buried stacked atop one another.
They also want to use turbines much taller than usual, I suspect to try and catch the winds coming over Boulder Ridge. Those cabins will now look over a sea of red blinking lights and turbines, and may hear them from eye level .

 

[schmalts]

And not as environmental friendly as they claim. The blades are not recyclable so when those reach end of life, they are landfilled. The hydraulic oil used in them has to be changed every 18 months to 3 years. Each one uses around 2-300 gallons. I question how cost effective they are compared to the electricity produced. Nice idea on paper and to push environmental issues but in my opinion they are not as cost effective as proponents claim.

Everything I have read is they are a joke. if it was not for being subsidized they are not productive. Then the dirty secret about the blades... google wind turbine blade disposal and click on images. You will not see the green energy people talking about those photos of thousands of them being buried because fiberglass cannot be recycled.

 

[Otto Matic]

Throughout the ages, the American private sector has been able to come through when American needed something.
ANYTIME the Gov't gets involved, they waste tons of money and seldom accomplish anything but debt, pain, heartache and misey!

So it goes with wind generation.
No energy provider wanted wind generated energy.

The flow of energy to the grid was haphazard at best.
Unavailable during high usage periods.
Over abundant during low usage periods.
All other generating methods could be ramped up or down as needed to meet demands as they ebbed and grew.
Nuke, oil, coal or gas plants can't be just stopped with the flip of a switch and start up isn't either.
Start up to full capacity may take12 to 36 hours...IF all goes well!

 

[Otto Matic]

Allow the private sector to develop wind and solar.

If Obama had not mandated providers purchase wind energy, it would be "broker" than it is today.

 

[Irrelevant]

Everything I have read is they are a joke. if it was not for being subsidized they are not productive. Then the dirty secret about the blades... google wind turbine blade disposal and click on images. You will not see the green energy people talking about those photos of thousands of them being buried because fiberglass cannot be recycled.

you're not wrong,

Are Windmill Turbine Blades Buried in Wyoming Landfill?

Snopes readers asked our team to investigate the legitimacy of a rumored Wyoming "wind turbine graveyard."

www.snopes.com

but I'm not sure I would go so far as to call them a joke.

Do Windmills Consume More Energy to Build Than They Ever Produce?

Did Thomas Homer-Dixon argue that windmills generate "idiot power" since they never recoup the energy it takes to build them?

www.snopes.com

 

[BuzzH]

Another thing that doesn't get mentioned much is the PTC's...production tax credits. They are lucrative enough, that the wind farm owners PAY the utility companies to take their excess power rather than shut them down when peak power isn't needed. IMO, that needs to change. If nobody wants your power, shut them down. It extends the life of the wind farm, avoiding having to bury worn out blades, change hydraulic oil, wear and tear in general.

Without the PTC's these wind farms wouldn't exist, or at least many of them wouldn't exist. They also wouldn't keep them running when there's no need for the power.

As to this specific wind farm, I wonder where all the wealthy cabin owners and those living out in the Buttes were, when Shirley Basin was developed for wind? Where were they on the chokecherry development? They didnt give a chit about wildlife corridors, habitat loss, etc. etc. then. Strange?

Oh, yeah, that's right, probably saying how great it is to have jobs in Wyoming...but when its in their backyard, I'm supposed to be upset? NOW its a problem?

I don't know if I can muster much sympathy other than to argue for the sake of wildlife, migration corridors, and bird strikes...the people whining about them in their backyard, and being an "eye sore"...cry me a river.