by Timlynn Babitsky
In January 2006, Congress mandated a study of the effects of proposed wind turbines on military operations. Many folks at the time viewed this as a political ploy by powerful senators to stall development of the Cape Wind project on Nantucket Sound. So what’s the deal? Is radar interference real ….or something else? (more…)
by Timlynn Babitsky
Resistance can come from many directions. The will of inconsistent wind as it affects power grid reliability is a tough argument against wind power. No one wants their power to falter in the middle of a crucial operation, a major data download, or one’s favorite television show. Wind is not a constant nor a guaranteed source of electric power, fossil fuel sources are. Yes, power grid reliability is a challenge, but is it a wind stopper? (more…)
by Timlynn Babitsky
Complaints around a wind project often focus on the “ugliness” of a tall tower with blades on top, and how it will spoil someone’s view. From the massive four-bladed windmills we see in The Netherlands, to the many bladed water-pumping windmills we still see across rural America, we have come to think of a wind turbine as being the stereotypical Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine (HAWT). If turbine design is a resistance issue for your project, there ARE other turbine designs out there to consider. (more…)
by Timlynn Babitsky
“Noise” is definitely in the ear of the listener. What constitutes “noise” has pretty much shifted with every generation’s music. Ask any parent — what may be soothing rhythms to one can be headache producing racket to another. So, when it comes to the Noise Issue and wind turbines, there is no objective way to measure how upsetting a sound may be to one person and not another. (more…)
by Timlynn Babitsky
If some of your project resistors claim a tall wind turbine is unattractive, or would spoil their view of Nature, the hills, the beach or the sea. Or if your particular small wind project offends neighbors who claim they don’t want to see “that thing” or have it strobe-shade their tomatoes – you might want check into the VAWT advantage. (more…)
by Timlynn Babitsky
With the President’s State of the Union address behind us, we got to thinking – what is the State of the Wind Power Union now at the front of 2008? What’s the potential for wind energy production in the US? How much have we tapped to date? What’s the real potential for economic benefit? Can a wind energy patch really help get us off our oil addiction? (more…)
by Timlynn Babitsky
“Turbines are ugly. They will totally spoil my view of ______ (insert your favorite location).” This argument is one of the hardest ones for me to digest. The kinetic elegance of a tall turbine moving to the rhythm of the air blowing by is incredibly beautiful. In fact, it’s inspirational. (more…)
by Timlynn Babitsky
“Why do you want to put a turbine there? We don’t have good wind,” is often the very first sign of potential disagreement with your wind project. To answer these potential resistors you need to take this question seriously even if you live in one of the top five windiest states in the nation. Why? (more…)
by Timlynn Babitsky
Wind energy is clean, sustainable, renewable, efficient, low-cost. We must capture this Wealth From The Wind for farmers and rural America. Wind energy works for the benefit of the American economy…Speaking on behalf of the American Corn Growers Foundation (ACGF), (more…)
by Timlynn Babitsky
Not In My Back Yard (NIMBY), Not Off My Back Porch (NOMBP) and Anywhere But Here (ABH) make good t-shirt logos and fun sound bites in the media. They also provide excellent road maps for wind project supporters. How do you change resistance to support? (more…)