Frequently
Asked Questions: Wind
Do Wind Turbines Cause Noise?
Any form of electric generation will produce noise. But, a common misconception is that a wind turbine creates an unbearable or persistent loud noise. Standing about 500 meters away from a wind turbine the noise produced is comparable to a running refrigerator. With setbacks that are required by law in Ohio a wind turbine would not be much closer than this distance to an occupied house.
Do Wind Turbines Kill Wildlife?
All man made structures have an affect on wildlife and unfortunately do harm wildlife. Wind turbines are no exceptions to this rule. The most impacted wildlife by a tall structure is birds. However, compared to other large structures, wind turbines kill far less birds on average. In fact if you doubled the amount of wind turbines in the United States and assumed the same amount of birds were impacted it would not even be half of the next closest thing.
When I see a wind farm why are some of the blades not turning?
There are a couple of reasons why you might see wind turbine blades not turning. These can include scheduled maintenance, mechanical issues, wind speed, or in some cases because the demand for energy is low enough that all of the turbines do not need to be producing energy.
What happens when a wind turbine is decommissioned?
In the past there have been wind farms that were decommissioned improperly. But, in recent years new laws have been put in place in Ohio that ensure the proper decommissioning of a wind farm. Before a project is started a developer must submit a decommissioning plan that is approved by the OPSB. There must also be a performance bond put up by the developer that would cover the full cost of decommissioning a project once its lifetime is up.
What is a PILOT Program for a wind farm?
Very similar to other forms of renewable energy development, PILOT programs for wind development are where renewable energy project owners remit to the county a fixed annual amount per megawatt (MW) payment in lieu of real and personal property tax. Typically these payments are between $7,000 and $9,000 per megawatt produced for the lifetime of the project. These payments go directly to the county or counties in which a project is located.
Why is so much land required for a wind farm?
It is often misunderstood how much land is actually needed to develop a wind farm. The amount of acres needed to develop a wind farm are in place due to safety regulations about how close turbines can be together and to property lines. However, the actual land that is taken up by a single wind turbine is relatively small (about two tenths of a square mile). This also allows the land underneath a turbine to be safely farmed.
