# Wind farm in PA



## elkimmeg (Aug 15, 2006)

Well I saw my first wind farm  traveling down the PennTurnpike.  6 huge windmills About 1.5 hours east of Pittsburg.
Looked to me as if they were situated on a former land fill. Does any know what there output is?


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## SeanD (Aug 15, 2006)

That is the Somerset wind farm.  Six 1.5 megawatt wind turbines.  The ridges in the Laurel Highlands get pretty steady winds and the operator of this wind farm wants to put in more.  The local residents are really fighting it.  While a windmill looks graceful as you drive by, nobody seems to want to look at one out their kitchen window.


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## Sandor (Aug 15, 2006)

SeanD said:
			
		

> That is the Somerset wind farm.  Six 1.5 megawatt wind turbines.  The ridges in the Laurel Highlands get pretty steady winds and the operator of this wind farm wants to put in more.  The local residents are really fighting it.  While a windmill looks graceful as you drive by, nobody seems to want to look at one out their kitchen window.



..... yeah, but they would rather have acid rain, smog or the threat of nuclear contamination.

Nimby is everywhere!


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## begreen (Aug 16, 2006)

I don't understand this. I would not mind a well designed windfarm in view. To me, it would be a visualization of common sense taking root. Assuming it's not horribly noisy, I could live with this.


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## MountainStoveGuy (Aug 16, 2006)

windmills are actually illeagle around here, people dont want there mountian views messed up.
I think this place should take on more hydro electric. A few things this state does RIGHT , only epa stoves can be installed, you cant smoke cigs anywhere, but dope is ok, you get fat rebates for solar, coal is illeagle, and boulde needs to be annex into its on state.


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## saichele (Aug 16, 2006)

I don't think I'd mind looking across the way at a windfarm, especially that Somerset one.  Drove from NV to CA once and came up on a large, sort of prickly looking windfarm that was actually unattractive.  That was probably 15 yrs ago, so it might be different now.

Yrs ago, Ford and Olds and their managers actually built their homes overlooking their factories, because they were proud of them (if you could build it across the river, that's good too).  Now everyone seems to find infrastructure unattractive.  

And yes Sandor, all those things are more desirable because you can't see them.  Smog sometimes, but only in a few places.

Steve


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## Sandor (Aug 16, 2006)

If I lived in a windy place, I would put windmills in my backyard and watch the electric meter spin backward while slugging down cold beer.


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## elkimmeg (Aug 17, 2006)

I wouldn't mind a wind mill in my back yard. When will John Q public get his head out of the sand and realize we have to change our energy consumption habits.


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## berlin (Aug 17, 2006)

"coal is illeagle"

msg, i think perhaps your information is wrong, heating with coal in colorado is not illegal.


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## wg_bent (Aug 17, 2006)

Sandor said:
			
		

> If I lived in a windy place, I would put windmills in my backyard and watch the electric meter spin backward while slugging down cold beer.



Ditto!!


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## BrotherBart (Aug 17, 2006)

berlin said:
			
		

> "coal is illeagle"
> 
> msg, i think perhaps your information is wrong, heating with coal in colorado is not illegal.



MSG is in Boulder. From the city code in Boulder:

"Ordinance No. 5445 (1992).

6-9-5 Limit on Coal Burning.

No person shall burn coal in a solid fuel burning device."


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## webbie (Aug 17, 2006)

BrotherBart said:
			
		

> No person shall burn coal in a solid fuel burning device."



Define "person".
 %-P 

Heck, I can get around this - I will burn it right out on the ground in the backyard - or in a BBQ. 

We once had a competitor that sold wood stoves but claimed they would also burn coal. When a customer tried and failed, they went back to the shop and said "You told me I could burn coal in this stove".

The sales person said "I was not lying" and then he pointed to the ground - "You could even burn coal right there!" he said.

Meaning....that you COULD burn coal in the stove in some way or another, but not to any satisfaction! Well, that store and others like it are not in business now.


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## webbie (Aug 17, 2006)

elkimmeg said:
			
		

> I wouldn't mind a wind mill in my back yard. When will John Q public get his head out of the sand and realize we have to change our energy consumption habits.



Yeah, around here they are screaming about the new Biomass plant. They started an org to oppose it. I feel like going to the meeting and telling them off.

This plant is only burning clean wood....I can understand problems with the ones that burn "used" wood! They are complaining about the 80 trucks a day it will take to feed it, etc.

Most problems like this can be solved. They might have a railroad nearby and so trucks might be able to unload at a depot in the future, etc.

It is very sad that the cape wind farm is having problems with our senators and governor. 

When they first proposed the big wind farms in Denmark, they also had groups opposing  - in this case, thousands of wind machines. But since they have been installed there has been no complaints and the view is very nice - as mentioned before, we should be proud of such accomplishments. This new idea of hiding everything and having someone else pay the price (in pollution, etc.) stinks. 

Another tidbit in Denmark - each little town often had it's own small electric generation AND hot water (for heating and DHW) plant - and they were so proud of these that the plants had glass fronts (like a clean brewery or fire station) - and they made sure to point it out to visitors.....A colder average climate than the US, plus shorter days for much of the year, yet energy use is about 1/2 per capita, and renewables are a large part of the national energy picture.

We could do this in New England with wood, wind and water - and a little solar here and there...but NOT if it takes 5 years to get a wind farm approved.


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## Harley (Aug 17, 2006)

Just curious, Craig...

Any idea on the lone windmill on Mt. Tom?  I don't think I've ever seen it spinning.  Was it put up there as a test of some sort, or does it serve any purpose now?


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## webbie (Aug 17, 2006)

Harley said:
			
		

> Just curious, Craig...
> 
> Any idea on the lone windmill on Mt. Tom?  I don't think I've ever seen it spinning.  Was it put up there as a test of some sort, or does it serve any purpose now?



Yeah, I think it was a failed test. I've hiked up Mt. Tom a few times and it is not an especially windy peak. According to the wind map of Mass, offshore is the place to be, followed by a few small peaks in the Berkshires....

But the map shows hundreds of sq. miles offshore and between the cape and mainland that is "wind gold".


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## berlin (Aug 17, 2006)

"MSG is in Boulder. From the city code in Boulder: 

“Ordinance No. 5445 (1992). 

6-9-5 Limit on Coal Burning. 

No person shall burn coal in a solid fuel burning device.” "


ah, ic, so it's only in boulder, i had doubted that it was a statewide law since i know of many who heat with coal in colorado. additionally it is a rarity that such a law should be passed simply because so few people heat with it anyway.


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## seaken (Aug 18, 2006)

I love the wind farms. I think they look cool. When we crossed Denmark by bus it made for a very interesting landscape in an otherwise mediocre peice of land.

We don't have wind farms for the same reason I can't get cell phone service here. Too many people oppose the towers. It has been a long hard battle for us to finally get one cell tower up. But still no service. While the rest of the world is being followed around by hundreds of Verizon service tehcnicians we are in the dead zone. We pay $45 per month for a service we can only use when we travel 20 miles away to the NY Thruway. The chances of a wind tower being approved are not very good. The arguments will rage on for years at the town halls and in the courts. Funny how short people's memory is. We just had a black out a couple of years ago where we were all sitting in the dark becasue the power grid failed. Seems more people would be working toward a solution instead of fighting the alternatives. But, no go.

Sean


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## Harley (Aug 21, 2006)

Local story



http://tinyurl.com/ghew4


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## suematteva (Aug 21, 2006)

Harley said:
			
		

> Local story
> 
> 
> 
> http://tinyurl.com/ghew4



Be interesting to see how that one turns out?? Wonder if the NIMBY will prevail or some new form of it develops..


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