Questions about noise, shadows and safety were generated Tuesday night at an informational session on wind energy at North Adams Home. Bill York of Quincy, who is a wind energy consultant for an international energy company, shared information about wind turbine operations.
Questions about noise, shadows and safety were generated Tuesday night at an informational session on wind energy at North Adams Home. Bill York of Quincy, who is a wind energy consultant for an international energy company, shared information about wind turbine operations.
MENDON, Ill. -- Questions about noise, shadows and safety were generated Tuesday night at an informational session on wind energy at North Adams Home.
Bill York of Quincy, who is a wind energy consultant for an international energy company, shared information about wind turbine operations. Although he said the information is not specific to the proposed 100-turbine operation planned near Camp Point, York's audience wanted to know what's going to happen locally.
"Illinois is a fair-to-good wind resource, but it also has a good transmission grid, and we have the population base to support that, which makes it attractive to wind developers," York said.
Although some Western states have greater wind speeds, their transmission grids and …
... more [truncated due to possible copyright]MENDON, Ill. -- Questions about noise, shadows and safety were generated Tuesday night at an informational session on wind energy at North Adams Home.
Bill York of Quincy, who is a wind energy consultant for an international energy company, shared information about wind turbine operations. Although he said the information is not specific to the proposed 100-turbine operation planned near Camp Point, York's audience wanted to know what's going to happen locally.
"Illinois is a fair-to-good wind resource, but it also has a good transmission grid, and we have the population base to support that, which makes it attractive to wind developers," York said.
Although some Western states have greater wind speeds, their transmission grids and populations limit their potential to develop wind energy. There is currently no efficient way to move electrical energy long distances.
York showed slides of wind turbines whose outer shells are about the size of a bus. Turbine towers typically are elevated about 250 feet, and the 120-foot turbine blades can be adjusted to catch the wind efficiently or shut down in high winds.
The bases that support these structures are 50-by-50-foot concrete pads that may extend 15 to 25 feet below ground level.
York told about the long and detailed permit process for wind turbine operations. Environmental impact statements can be affected by the discovery of endangered species, such as the Indiana bat. Flight patterns for aircraft, cell phone towers and a variety of other things have to be considered before turbines are erected.
"We have to have assurance bonds of $100,000 per mile of road" that will be affected during the construction and service of the turbines, York said.
Wind energy is especially popular now because of a federal mandate that 25 percent of the nation's energy be renewable by 2025. Wind is expected to represent about 75 percent of that mix.
The Camp Point proposal by Global Winds Harvest of Schenectady, N.Y., and Acciona of Spain, on which York is doing consulting work, would presumably sell electricity to AmerenCIPS, Adams County Electric Cooperative or to Missouri companies that could be served through a trunk line that already is buried under the Mississippi River.
During a question-and-answer session, Jeff Rasche, who lives near Camp Point, urged York to seek Adams County Board approval for a 1,200-foot setback around any turbines erected. A wind energy ordinance approved by the board in January sets forth only a 1,000-foot setback from residences. Even though plan from Global Winds Harvest and Acciona includes a 1,200-foot setback, Rasche believes the county should ensure that competitors will not come in with lesser standards.
Rasche also would like the setback measured from neighboring properties and not from residences.
"If I have a house 400 feet away from my property line and they put up a wind turbine 1,000 feet away ... what if five or 10 years from now I want to build a house" closer to that property line? Rasche asked.
Rasche's concerns and those of some neighbors and wind farm critics from other areas are posted online at www.AdamsCountyWind. com.
Among other things, Rasche worries that shadow flicker from turbines might cause epileptic seizures. He also believes towers near Central High School could create a problem.
York later said studies indicate the shadow flicker caused by wind turbines do not cause seizures and are similar to what occurs in homes with ceiling fans.
Jim Benz, chairman of Adams County Electric Cooperative, said wind generation is not just a passing fad. It has appeal for generating revenue as well as electricity.
"Communities like to see these 100-unit wind turbine farms with $300 million to $400 million in capital investment and jobs on top of that," Benz said.