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Advance reporter visits largest wind farms in Midwest
Locals talk about life with wind turbines
(EDITOR’S NOTE: It is difficult to make sense of the disparate voices that either laud or denounce the wind turbines Exelon Wind seeks to erect near Riga, Ogden and Palmyra.
Some locals, namely a group of Ogden residents led by Josh Vancamp, have expressed strong opposition to the wind turbines. Others see them as a boon for both the townships and local landowners. With neither an invitation nor an advance warning, Advance reporter James McClenathen visited two of the largest wind farms in the midwest in an effort to find some answers to our readers’ questions. After a tour of the wind farms, McClenathen spoke with several locals about the wind turbines and their respective companies.)
The Fowler Ridge Wind Farm, owned by BP Alternative Energy and partner Dominion Resources, Inc., sits on approximately 50,000 acres of farmland in Benton County, Ind. The farm consists of 182 Vestas V82 1.65-megawatt turbines, each with a tip height of approximately 397 feet, and 40 Clipper 2.5-megawatt turbines with a 419-foot tip height. “Tip height” is the distance from the base of the turbine to the tip of a rotor blade that is pointing straight upward.
Meadow Lake Wind Farm, owned by Horizon Wind, is located primarily in White County, Ind. The operation consists of 121 Vestas V82 turbines.
In much of Benton and White counties, there are wind turbines as far as the eye can see, scattered across the flat and expansive rural landscape. On a gray January afternoon, they blend so well with the sky that they are virtually invisible outside a distance of one mile, despite their enormous size.
A major concern of Blissfield area residents has been the noise level of the wind turbines. Some are worried the sound produced by the turbines will be intrusive and potentially stress-inducing. However, the Benton and White County residents McClenathen interviewed reported little to no issue with the noise level.
“They’re not very loud, but there is a noise associated with them,” said Maragaret Foutch, White County resident and West Point Township trustee. “It depends on how the wind’s blowing. It’s not a very intrusive sound. But it’s no more intrusive than the noise from the interstate, that’s for sure.”
Foutch lives approximately two miles from Interstate 65. Her house is surrounded by wind turbines, each no farther than a mile away. Asked whether locals were unhappy with the turbines, she said, “There are pros and cons to everything, but I’d say in general people are fairly pleased. [Horizon] gives money to the county, which the county then gives to the townships where there are turbines. I’m a trustee of this township, and we use the money for the fire department. And they’ve been very generous in giving extra money to the fire departments around, so they really give a lot of good public service around here.”
Ellis Mann, owner of a construction company, said the interstate was “way louder than [the turbines] could ever be.”
His house is just over a mile away from the interstate. There are turbines in every direction, some within a quarter mile.
“It’s better than living underneath an electric tower,” said Mann. “I don’t have a problem with them. I think they look good in the landscape, but that’s just my opinion.”
Dianne Metzinger, who owns a small plot of land adjacent to a field where turbines were erected, said she had not heard any complaints regarding the turbines.
“Most of the time you don’t even hear them unless it’s a really windy day.”
Metzinger said the locals’ fears were mostly dispelled once the turbines were constructed.
“Before they were put up, people had concerns. I think now that they’re here, everybody seems to be okay with it. A lot of people like the look of them, because they’re something different.”
Locals also said they were not aware of land values decreasing as a result of the wind turbines.
“Actually, the farmlands have been increasing in value due to the payments the farmers are getting from the wind company,” said Jim Vanlaere of White County.
Vanlaere said he knew of one person who was unhappy with the turbines because of the way they “disturbed the lay of the land and the views.”
Another concern expressed by some residents here has been the possible impact of construction on the roads. Yet Benton and White County residents agreed that although the roads were damaged during construction, BP and Horizon left them in better condition than they had been before the turbines moved in.
Mann, however, said he was not pleased with the way Horizon deals with locals who do not own land on which turbines were built. “The only problem I had with this particular wind company was that if you were not a landowner, you didn’t really get information from anybody at all, even when you requested it. They weren’t very user-friendly. The BP people in Fowler are ten miles away, and they sent us a letter telling us what was going on and inviting us to meetings. We never got invited to any meetings by Horizon.”
Mann says he has no issue with the turbines themselves.
“They’re in, they don’t cause any problems, and there are no sound problems.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: Readers are encouraged to share their views with The Advance by sending letters to the editor or taking the online poll at www.blissfieldadvance.com.
For the full story by James McClenathen as well as a story with his personal observation and experience on the wind farms, please see the Jan. 26, 2011, edition of The ADVANCE.
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Thank you for the Meadow Lake Wind Farm story. Most of us have been hoping for our local media to take the time and expense and research the pros and cons of other wind farms. Your story eases the minds of many who have had reservations in allowing one to be built in Riga. I for one took the bus trip to Ubly Michigan last summer and came away from the wind farm visit in a positive feel for the project. My only concern was somehow being swayed by the trip sponsor. After reading this story I now feel that my trip to Ubly was representative of what you found in Indiana, no noticeable noise and property values were unaffected. Thank you for confirming what I experienced in Ubly!