WEBlue

In our househunt, we've come across several towns that have wind turbines, and several others that are struggling with whether and where to allow possible wind farm development.

Do you have wind turbines anywhere near you? Any experiences (pro or con) with them? If you were interested in buying a house, would you want one (or more) anywhere near you?

Yorkieabroad

We don't have any near us here, but Mam has some 15miles or so away back in the UK. I think I'm probably in the minority here, but I quite like to see them. They do make a low droning noise, so if they are going to be very close, I'd go on a windy, quiet night and see if the noise is likely to bother you.

Solar isn't really cost effective for us yet, wind would be, so I applied for permission for a wee domestic one, but was turned down by the HOA - not really surprised, they just bang on about how green they are in their operations, so I thought what the heck, lets see if they really are! Neighbors are probably pleased with their decision.

I'd have 2 concerns about buying very near a wind farm - whether/where the wind farm is likely to expand in the future, and the possible impact on resale when you do come to sell. Even if you live quite happily with them on the doorstep, it islikely to limit your potential purchasers.

Pulaski

I agree with Yorkie, I quite like the appearance of them, IMO they add an abstract and elegant dimension to a landscape, and I wouldn't have a problem with them being nearby. That said, I wouldn't want to live too close to them, a distance that depends how much noise they make. I would also be sure to stay away from any transmission lines, but that isn't a wind farm issue, that's any transmission lines.

Yorkieabroad

I agree on power lines, but I'm amazed by how few people seem to be put off by them here. A lot of the subdivisions have underground lines within the subdivision, but then overheads round the sides, even to the point of having power poles in the backyards - they didn't even pass first filter with us. A lot of the new subdivisions going up round us even had power poles within the lots of the model homes, and in one, the most expensive lots backed onto a narrow lake, which was bordered on the far side by massive war of the worlds style pylons. Why would you buy the most expensive house in the place, only to look out at that every day?

Pulaski

Beats me!

They are certainly unsightly, but although I really don't believe that they are dangerous, it is the buzzing or even sizzling noise that I find disturbing.

Yorkieabroad

My problem with the ones that were actually planted in the back yards is that my boys would see them as a challenge.......

jeffreyhy

I think its a deceptively simple question and depends on the size of the wind turbines and the nature of the area where they're located. In most places in Connecticut I wouldn't mind a small kilowatt size turbine that could be mounted on a mast attached to the house like a TV antennae or dish, but I would object to a megawatt size turbine with 40 meter diameter blades on a 100 meter tall tower in or immediately adjacent to my neighborhood.

On the other hand, dozens or even hundreds of those huge wind turbines spread across the fields of the midwest and plains states, or the open spaces of the far west are just fine. The farmers on whose property they're located can benefit from the steay income they get for leasing the land on which the towers sit, although they wouldn't want one too close to their house and it makes plowing and harvesting a bit more difficult having to go around them.

In contrast, I live 1.5 miles from a 4-unit coal-fired power plant. If I didn't drive by it a couple of times a week I wouldn't even know it's there. If they were to plant one or two wind turbines on the property I wouldn't know that they were there either without driving by.

Regards, JEff

jeffreyhy

When you say "transmission lines", what size lines do you mean? The high-voltage lines greater than 100 kilovolts, typically on steel 'erector set' towers or, in congested areas, steel poles? Or are you also talking about the lower voltage distribution lines that are most often on wood poles running along streets?

Keep in mind that the power has to get to your home somehow, and there's a very significant price to be paid, in cost and in reliability of service, for burying both distribution lines and transmission lines.

Regards, JEff

Bink

Living close to one wouldn't bother me - I too don't mind the look of them. Resale would be a consideration though.

We're in a new section and ours are buried - actually it was a major factor in buying the house. I for one wouldn't want some wonky electric pole in my backyard and like Yorkie said, it would immiediately strike off a property for me!

jeffreyhy

Burying the low voltage distribution lines that serve single neighborhoods and individual homes doesn't incur as great a cost or reliability of service penalty as burying higher voltage distribution and transmission lines does. In some ways it improves reliabililty - no poles to be taken down by errant drivers. The transformers are small enough that they aren't an eyesore.

Regards, JEff

kimilseung

I am biased against wind turbines, ever since they appeared above the lovely valley of Borrowdale, near Tebay, snuggled between the Lake District and the Howgill fells, but lacking the protection of those areas.

I just read they have put some on top of Kirkstone Pass at the pub last year. The things they get up to while I am out of the country. Though they do not look too bad, they are not on top of a ridge like the Borrowdale ones.

jeffreyhy

The best winds are often along ridge lines.

Even in the generally flat midwest, the best places for the wind turbines are on the slightly elevated ares.

Regards, JEff

Pulaski

I wouldn't want either running across my back yard, but the local distribution lines down the street are often inevitable. Personally I would not buy a home within, say, a minimum quarter mile of the steel transmission grid pylons, it is those that are an eyesore and make the buzzing/ sizzling noise.

jeffreyhy

The noise is corona, small electric discharges ionizing the air around the wires. It occurs mostly in wet or humid weather conditions on very high voltage lines.

The utility companies don't like corona either, because the noise comes from lost energy which equals lost money.

Regards, JEff

GeoffM

The HV power transmission lines do seem to increase the risk of certain types of cancers of those living close by. I remember seeing a map of incidences of cancer across an area in the UK and there were distinct clusters along the path of the lines. Just Googling now and there's lots of information about it, both supporting and disputing the evidence. Anyway, it's enough to make me want to avoid living too close. The power from wind turbines isn't that of HV transmission lines though, so only the noise would be my worry there.