Wind Farms (Abilene, Albany, Alba: construction, live, to move)

[case44]

There are plans for a new wind farm near McAdoo, TX. That's about 60 miles east of Lubbock, and the plans are for about one hundred new turbines.

Here's that link: Wind farm whips up activity around McAdoo | AVALANCHE-JOURNAL

[JamesAbilene]

Originally Posted by teatime

catman, I'd have one in a heartbeat if they made one suitable for a standard-sized backyard!!!! LOL, with the way the wind howls around here many days, I'd be able to amply supply my modest home with electricity and sell a bunch to the power grid!

One of the teachers who works with me is married to a land man with Florida Power and Light. He says they will soon have windmills to place in yards that will power a house....They will cost about $2500. We just moved to a condo, and we have no yard to speak of, so it won't help us.

[Aggie]

Howdy. There are some "personal" size wind turbines available. Do your homework good though. Windy conditions, as in "we get a lot of windy days" may or may not be enough to generate a reasonable return on investment. And, not all states require utilities to buy surplus electric production

These are reasons that we went with solar PV here in upstate SC ... but when I retire and get to go home we will look closely at wind and/or wind/PV combinations ... 2.5 years and counting!

[case44]

Ever since childhood, I've always been a windmill guy. This just adds to that. I always get a kick out of seeing those huge turbines rotating in the distance. Very cool to watch. It's now becoming part of the Texas landscape, and it really does do well for consumers.

[JamesAbilene]

Trent High School, between Abilene and Sweetwater in Trent, has put a small windmill near their high school to generate power for the school district. It is really small and unobtrusive compared to the huge ones. I assume that is the kind of generator that will be available for homes. It is just off Interstate 20 on the south side of the freeway just east of the new high school. If you are driving that direction, look for it.

[teatime]

I'll bet that, in time, there will be a small system that can attach to the house -- just like the small satellite dishes. LOL, remember how HUGE the satellite dishes used to be??!!

[case44]

Originally Posted by teatime

I'll bet that, in time, there will be a small system that can attach to the house -- just like the small satellite dishes. LOL, remember how HUGE the satellite dishes used to be??!!

The way people invent things these days, never say never.

[Pontificator]

I find these big, swooping beasts to be a blight on the landscape, and frankly, a little creepy. I'd love to see Texans get involved with solar energy -- goodness knows, we have an abundance of solar!! Before anyone gets too excited about renewable energy, please read about the likely bend-over to Texas ratepayers: Star-Telegram.com: | 04/03/2008 | Texas ratepayers' price tag for new wind-power lines in billions (broken link)

[changeofpace]

Blight on the landscape as well as more costly for consumers. Trust me, they wont be very far off shore on the coast of Corpus. We are not talking windmills from days gone by on farms and ranches. Oh yeah, and the light on each blade for aircraft. We are not talking a dozen of the, we are talking 50-100. The are only economical if they are huge wind farms. I am so glad we did not purchase a home on on Ocean Drive or on the Island.

[case44]

Originally Posted by changeofpace

Here is an issue that residents of Corpus should research and get their opinions known. On our many trips from Minnesota to Corpus in the last year as we checked out Corpus, looked for a home in Corpus and moved our belongings to our new home in Corpus, we drove along I-35 thru Iowa. Just north of Des Moines are 2 wind turbine farms that have approximately 100 wind turbines. These turbines make a constant humming noise, cast moving shadows as the turbines rotate and look terrible. You want to ruin views, turn off tourists, have your property devalued big time, just let the coast of Corpus turn into a large Wind Farm. It will stop growth in Corpus in its tracks and you will see people leave due to the visual pollution these huge turbines bring.
I am all for alternative means of energy, but short term alternatives with no regard for long term effects is not to smart. You think the refineries are bad, just let a wind farm build along the coast and see what it looks like. In Minnesota the answer was corn based fuel and now the ethonal plants are idle or unfinished and corn prices are thru the roof. Reduce fuel costs (supposedly) but increase food costs is not a viable alternative or answer.

I doubt seriously you'll see any wind farm being built next to a major city in Texas. You basically have to have some isolation and empty land for the turbines to get built. We've mentioned places in West Texas already, so that is really the most likely region for these, anyway. I wouldn't sweat over seeing these things being built near Corpus. You're safe.