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Frequently Asked Question(s)
| Are wind farms safe? |
| Yes. All moving parts and electrical infrastructure will be enclosed and locked. Landowners, operators, and farmers are safe working under and around the turbines. The project will operate at a voltage level and frequency consistent with residential electrical distribution systems. The project will comply with all federal, state and local zoning, building, construction and electrical codes. |
| What do the turbines sound like? |
| Turbines produce very little mechanical noise. The audible noise is primarily the sound of the wind passing through the rotor. Typically, the overall sound of turbines at 500 feet ranges from 40 to 50 dBA, which is the level of normal conversation. Often the sound of the wind rustling grass and leaves and hitting buildings is louder than the noise from the turbine. |
| What constitutes a wind farm? |
| A wind farm consists of turbines and towers which are placed on concrete foundations. Typical foundations are below-ground structures. The tower is attached to a short pedestal where the foundation extends above ground. Each turbine is serviced by a gravel access road and crane pad. An electrical collection system will be run underground at depths of 3½ - 4 feet. The entire collection system feeds into a single point where the power is delivered to the electric utility. Typically a wind generation facility and related access road require only ½ to ¾ of an acre per turbine. |
| How do wind farms impact property values? |
| In other areas where wind farms have been installed, the value of land has not been negatively impacted. A comprehensive study on how wind farms affect property values was completed in May, 2003. The report is titled "The Effect of Wind Development on Local Property Values", prepared by the Renewable Energy Policy Project (www.REPP.org). The study was based on 25,000 sales transactions over 10 wind farm project areas, and concludes that property values on properties within the view of the wind turbines for 8 of 10 project areas increased at a higher rate in relation to comparable properties. |
| How do wind farms impact birds and wildlife? |
| In the Midwest, wind turbines have been shown to have no significant impact on avian wildlife. Projects rarely disturb wildlife habitat because wind turbines are typically sited on land that has been used for agricultural or similar purposes, and are subject to DNR and EPA regulation. Early wind turbine installations had problems with birds for two reasons, the speed of the blade rotation and the open, or lattice, type of tower. Current technology uses rotors rotating at speeds of 9-19 rpm versus as high as 100 rpm in older technology. The current tubular steel towers prevent birds from nesting on the turbine structure. |
| How will the local area benefit from the project? |
| Landowners receive rents for the turbines placed on their land, injecting money into the local economy. Counties receive tax revenue from the project based on the assessed Real Estate Value of the wind farm facilities. During construction, local businesses and suppliers receive the benefit of 80-100 construction workers on site for a period of 9 to 18 months, as well as the creation of construction jobs. After construction is complete, several local full-time operations, maintenance and service jobs are created. |
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