The world's first wind farm – consisting of 20 wind turbines rated at 30 kilowatts each – was installed on the shoulder of Crotched Mountain in southern New Hampshire in December, 1980.
As of November 2010, the Roscoe Wind Farm is the largest onshore wind farm in the world at 781.5 MW, followed by the Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center (735.5 MW). The largest wind farm under construction is the 845 MWShepherds Flat Wind Farm in the USA. The largest proposed project is the 20,000 MW Gansu Wind Farm in China.
Wind farms generally consist of a large number of wind turbines that exceed 400 feet in height, placed in clusters and irregular or nonlinear patterns in order to make optimum use of prevailing winds. When placed on farmland, wind farms often prevent aerial application operators from gaining access to areas adjacent to, surrounding, or inside the wind farms to apply crop treatment and crop protection materials.
Now, Whiteside and Lee counties have a setback of 1,400 feet – about a quarter of a mile – between turbines and houses.
The state and national agricultural aviation associations have expressed concerns about the effect of wind turbines on crop dusting. The National Agricultural Aviation Association discourages the placement of wind turbines on prime farmland in a way that may prevent crop dusters from doing their work. It wants turbines near farmland to be well-lit and have markings.
Even in cases when aerial applicators decide a field located in or around wind turbines is safe to access, they typically will charge more because they have to carry lighter loads and the field takes longer to spray because of the time it takes to maneuver around the wind turbines.
Cady Aerial Spray in Deer Grove, IL, recently sent a letter to its customers stating: “Any field within or adjacent to a wind farm that we may deem treatable will likely incur additional cost due to the increased time necessary to make such an application and the risk factors involved.
The loss of aerial application services isn’t the only negative consequence that wind turbines can have on farmers’ productivity. A deeper problem exists, literally. Steier has had conversations with friends and former customers who have lamented a major consideration they overlooked before signing their lease agreement: the impact of wind turbine construction and maintenance on their farm drainage systems.
After 2011, wind farm companies will be able to state that turbines are personal property, and therefore not taxed as real estate. The turbine companies are known to claim that only the inexpensive cement slab (upon which the turbine is erected) should be assessed as real estate.
Bill Durdan has farmed northeast of Grand Ridge, Ill., for 43 years. He lives and works on 200 acres of farmland, where he grows corn and soybeans. Invenergy, the largest independent wind energy developer in the U.S., has installed hundreds of wind turbines in his area.
During the first phase, 66 turbines went up east of Durdan’s property. Initially, the closest turbine was about two and half miles away. Invenergy installed three more turbines within a half-mile east of his farm and plans to put in more. Eventually, Durdan’s access to aerial application will be seriously hampered.
“On three sides I would have one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight all at a U-shape around my farm that would all be within a quarter mile around my farm,” Durdan said.
Durdan asked Invenergy to eliminate two turbines that would be the closest, directly across from his house. Although he has received verbal assurances, at press time, Durdan has yet to receive the written commitment he has asked for from Invenergy pledging to eliminate the two turbines in front of his house. A project developer told him the company was in ongoing negotiations with the owner of the land where the turbines will be sited.
When pests or disease threaten a crop, time is critical. Four years ago, Durdan’s crop consultant discovered aphids in his field. It was six weeks before harvest. “There was no way you’d go through it with a ground machine because you’d destroy the beans, so we had to get an airplane,” Durdan said. “We discovered the problem in the afternoon and he had an airplane there at seven o’clock the next morning, and naturally it averted a disaster.”
Once all eight turbines appear on three sides of his farmland, Durdan knows time won’t be on his side. He heard two aerial applicators explain how wind turbines will alter the way they render services at a meeting.
Sources:
AviationAirport
en.wikipedia
Wind Watch
agaviation
informedfarmers
agaviation
As of November 2010, the Roscoe Wind Farm is the largest onshore wind farm in the world at 781.5 MW, followed by the Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center (735.5 MW). The largest wind farm under construction is the 845 MWShepherds Flat Wind Farm in the USA. The largest proposed project is the 20,000 MW Gansu Wind Farm in China.
Wind farms generally consist of a large number of wind turbines that exceed 400 feet in height, placed in clusters and irregular or nonlinear patterns in order to make optimum use of prevailing winds. When placed on farmland, wind farms often prevent aerial application operators from gaining access to areas adjacent to, surrounding, or inside the wind farms to apply crop treatment and crop protection materials.
Now, Whiteside and Lee counties have a setback of 1,400 feet – about a quarter of a mile – between turbines and houses.
The state and national agricultural aviation associations have expressed concerns about the effect of wind turbines on crop dusting. The National Agricultural Aviation Association discourages the placement of wind turbines on prime farmland in a way that may prevent crop dusters from doing their work. It wants turbines near farmland to be well-lit and have markings.
Even in cases when aerial applicators decide a field located in or around wind turbines is safe to access, they typically will charge more because they have to carry lighter loads and the field takes longer to spray because of the time it takes to maneuver around the wind turbines.
Cady Aerial Spray in Deer Grove, IL, recently sent a letter to its customers stating: “Any field within or adjacent to a wind farm that we may deem treatable will likely incur additional cost due to the increased time necessary to make such an application and the risk factors involved.
The loss of aerial application services isn’t the only negative consequence that wind turbines can have on farmers’ productivity. A deeper problem exists, literally. Steier has had conversations with friends and former customers who have lamented a major consideration they overlooked before signing their lease agreement: the impact of wind turbine construction and maintenance on their farm drainage systems.
After 2011, wind farm companies will be able to state that turbines are personal property, and therefore not taxed as real estate. The turbine companies are known to claim that only the inexpensive cement slab (upon which the turbine is erected) should be assessed as real estate.
Bill Durdan has farmed northeast of Grand Ridge, Ill., for 43 years. He lives and works on 200 acres of farmland, where he grows corn and soybeans. Invenergy, the largest independent wind energy developer in the U.S., has installed hundreds of wind turbines in his area.
During the first phase, 66 turbines went up east of Durdan’s property. Initially, the closest turbine was about two and half miles away. Invenergy installed three more turbines within a half-mile east of his farm and plans to put in more. Eventually, Durdan’s access to aerial application will be seriously hampered.
“On three sides I would have one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight all at a U-shape around my farm that would all be within a quarter mile around my farm,” Durdan said.
Durdan asked Invenergy to eliminate two turbines that would be the closest, directly across from his house. Although he has received verbal assurances, at press time, Durdan has yet to receive the written commitment he has asked for from Invenergy pledging to eliminate the two turbines in front of his house. A project developer told him the company was in ongoing negotiations with the owner of the land where the turbines will be sited.
When pests or disease threaten a crop, time is critical. Four years ago, Durdan’s crop consultant discovered aphids in his field. It was six weeks before harvest. “There was no way you’d go through it with a ground machine because you’d destroy the beans, so we had to get an airplane,” Durdan said. “We discovered the problem in the afternoon and he had an airplane there at seven o’clock the next morning, and naturally it averted a disaster.”
Once all eight turbines appear on three sides of his farmland, Durdan knows time won’t be on his side. He heard two aerial applicators explain how wind turbines will alter the way they render services at a meeting.
Sources:
AviationAirport
en.wikipedia
Wind Watch
agaviation
informedfarmers
agaviation
No comments:
Post a Comment