To: Lee Thelen, Greenbush Township Board Supervisor
From: Brianne Moore, Chairman of the Greenbush Township Residents Committee
Date: November 4, 2017
Subject: Wind Turbines
As Chairman of the Greenbush Township Residents Committee, I am writing to you on behalf of having construction of wind turbines added to our township. Our committee would like to inform the citizens of the benefits that wind turbines will add not only to the township but to the citizens as well. Our committee would like to clear up any misinformation that may be out in public about the wind turbines with a special meeting which to include: noise level, disrupting to livestock or wildlife and cost ineffectiveness. The adjoining townships to the north and the west of
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From some of the local farmers and residence we the committee have spoken to; their only concern was if that it would affect their livestock and/or the wildlife. In Michigan, Heritage Sustainable Energy is the main company to construct wind turbines (heritagewindenergy.com).
Solution
As stated earlier, we need to educate the citizens of our township. We would like to invite a representative from the Heritage Sustainable Energy, to come to talk to the citizens at a special township board meeting, specifically to address concerns dealing with wind turbines.
Lee Thelen, Greenbush Township Board Supervisor
November 4, 2017
Page 2
The representative will have a prepared power point prestation for the residence, one of items addressed would be how the revenue from the wind turbines will benefit them and the township. Also, he will provide facts about wind turbine emissions and offer a question & answer session afterwards.
Benefits
In Michigan, there was a study done to determine what citizens have done with the revenue from the wind turbines. The study has shown that they have invested “twice as much” (Midwest Energy News), and they have also bought more land than the residence that do not have them within a 5-year period. The following benefits are what wind turbines can offer.
• Costing $48,000 - $65,000, the people of the township would not have to pay for the wind turbines.
• Using the revenue made from the wind
When companies wanted the turbines to be built, it opens up about 100-150 jobs for people. These include the roads leading to the turbines, turbine foundations, construction of the turbines and then hooking to the electrical collection systems. After this whole process is completed, 8-9 full time employees oversee day-to-day operations and maintenance for the turbines. Kansas is ranked 5th for the number of wind related jobs. Because of the energy the wind turbines create, it saved the capital investment over $5 billion. The farmers make money off these turbines because the companies pay them for placing the towers on their land. Farmers in all are making around $8,000,000 off land lease payments a year. Not only are wind turbines making big bucks and big energy, but they are safe for the environment! Generating wind power creates no emissions and uses virtually no water! About 2 billion gallons of water per year are being saved from the wind farms and turbines in Kansas. The wind power installed in Kansas will avoid over 5.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually, which is the equivalent of taking over 990,000 cars off the road. Another positive of the wind turbines effecting the environment is how much it reduces nonrenewable energy. Wind energy does not get rid of natural resources and renews every day as the earth cools and heats. The turbines only
The construction materials for the wind turbine would travel noisily through the local community which would add to the road
In over 20 years of electricity generation with more than 100,000 machines installed worldwide, no member of the public has ever been injured during the operation of a wind turbine. These stats recorded show that the wind turbines are very safe and have a good reputation.
Wind provides a source of energy that can be collected and used to power electricity. By utilizing wind energy, companies and cities can more cleanly and efficiently supply their electricity. Turbines have been installed across the globe to supply this energy and are usually placed in open fields where wind flow is high and steady, and they are not close to residential areas. However, their distance from cities makes the process of transferring the energy more difficult and costly. Because of this additional cost, some think it is a better idea to place the turbines closer to the cities for which they provide energy. The issue with plants being closer to towns, however, is that wind turbines can be disruptive to the peace, causing nuisance
Today, we have what is known as wind turbines. These large structures are used as a renewable and free energy source. The way a wind turbine works is very simple. As the wind blows, it moves the blades, which then turns a generator and makes electricity. These wind turbines are only a small source of energy because they work about 65 to 90 percent of the time. When many wind turbines are placed together in one area, it is known as a wind farm. The majority of wind farms are found in Texas and California. Wind farms are hoped to be spread all across the country to become a more prominent source of energy that is not only renewable, but also free.
First and foremost, wind power would bring investment money into the state. According to Sara Gideon, a Democratic representative from Freeport, wind energy is looking to invest billions of dollars into Maine (Porter, 2015). Consequently, wind power would save consumers money because the average price of wind energy is only getting cheaper. Prices have dropped 60-70 percent down from $135 per megawatt-hour to $30 per megawatt-hour (Arnold, 2015). The U.S. Department of Energy conducted a study where they estimated the impact of wind energy if it’s usage increased to 35% compared to other energy sources in the US by 2050. The study concluded that there would be a 14% reduction in green house gas emissions, 21,700 deaths avoided from air pollution, 600,000 wind related jobs spread across the nation, $1 billion dollars of local revenues and $280 billion dollars of collective consumer savings from lower natural gas prices outside the electric sector (U.S. Department of Energy, 2015). These staggering numbers are already becoming a reality. In 2013, wind energy reduced water consumption in the US by 36.5 billion gallons and reduced CO2 emissions by 115 million metric tons or 270 million barrels of oil (U.S. Department of Energy, 2015). Wind towers are only improving as technology improves with them. Turbines have recently hit a milestone of 70 gigawatts of generating capacity. That is enough to power about 19 million homes
The City of Midland’s planning department has received multiple requests to see if small wind electric systems, or personal wind turbines, are permitted within the city limits. The city zoning code does not expressly permit them, which, by the nature of zoning codes, means they are not permitted within the city in any district. This briefing was undertaken to provide a brief synopsis of wind energy in Midland and the difficulties associated with developing a wind ordinance. Should this be a direction the city wishes to go, more information can be provided.
Wind is a natural, replenishable source of energy. With the invention of wind turbines, it has made it possible to convert wind into the energy people can use in homes and businesses. Earth's climate is rising continually, and if humans don't begin to change the use of nonrenewable sources to renewable, the planet will have devastating consequences. Today's consequences range from climate change, polar caps melting, and oceans rising. Recent achievements in wind energy are making it a popular renewable source worldwide; however, the United States Congress needs to establish a bill that guarantees long term support through tax credits to encourage the growth of wind energy.
Though Machol and Rizk (75-80) argue that wind energy’s primary benefits are inclined to the environmental benefits, Sovacool (19-24) provide counter-arguments to empirically prove that wind energy has many economic benefits. In the first study, the researchers noted that wind energy was the most successful energy source compared to other new energy sources. In the study, the researcher revealed that the notion of wind energy as important due to the environmental benefits was insufficient to provide
3-blade wind turbines are the dominant wind power technology used by the UK and they are a strong force in the UK renewable energies market (Renewable UK, 2014). As such, the market has invested in wind energy and drives a profitability mentality to renewables. There is public support for using wind energy generally, but also concerns about the effects of (in particular) 3-blade wind turbines and Small Wind Turbines on human and animal health, noise pollution, and their visual impact were they placed in sight of people’s homes (Tatchley et al., 2016). These market forces spur on innovation into wind energy which makes it more accessible.
Although wind energy is a renewable energy source which means an unlimited amount of, there is a downside. The electricity generated by wind turbines is expensive. In addition, people do not like the view of wind turbines. Some people are concerned with the safety of birds, and them flying into the blades. Further revolutionizing the use of wind energy, will greatly impact the way humans produce and consume energy.
The report provides an analysis of the nonmarket issues of the wind power market and provides information relating to wind power projects in Canada. The report aims to help communities balance local concerns with wider environmental needs, thereby allowing the benefits of renewable energy to be realized through careful design and consultation. Additionally, it also provides a profile of a major wind power company in Canada.
There are many cons that would come from the use of the wind power turbines,
We have harnessed wind for thousands of years for transportation, agriculture, and for power. Thus, wind energy has been one of the most recent developments in the field of renewable energy in the last several years. Wind farms seem to be essential in our society to the continued push to reduce fossil fuel usage and greenhouse gas emissions. A cheaper form of energy that also emits less pollution than traditional forms of energy production sounds perfect. We would never know about the issues with it though, as far as most people know, wind turbines are helping produce productive energy through the wind. If people are not familiar with the dangers that very productive systems bring, then one might as well watch the TV, but mute the sound. It is great to focus on the big picture of projects, but take a look around and see what the big picture could be affecting.
The disadvantages of wind generators are that the strength of the wind isn’t constant and it varies from zero to storm force. This suggests that wind turbines don’t manufacture constant quantity of electricity all the time. Many of us feel the rural area ought to be left untouched, while not these massive structures being engineered.