Wind generators causing bird deaths and now fires, too? What next? They cause incontinence? But, seriously, are these "issues" worthy of stopping progress?

Alternative forms of producing energy are here to stay. Dealing with climate change demands it. Wind generators may not be perfect yet, but I believe we need to keep building them and thus improving them.

I am excited about the ones being installed on the ridge right behind our house in southern Vermont!

Peter

No problem as long a they don't use our state to make power that is sent to other states. :confused:

You don't consume anything produced in other states an shipped to NH?

You totally miss the point. The White Mountains are a virgin untouched area for all to enjoy. There are some power lines that have run through the area for as long as I can remember. Every time you see one it looks like a scar to the area.
I'm against North Country being ruined with towers and or windmills which will ruin the beauty of the area for ever and all for what? So Canadian companies can bring power down to the southern states. In many cases the companies involved are not even in our country, how are we befitting?
Not sure weather you have even researched what the Northern Pass is about but 200 foot towers towering above the trees from Canada down through the heart of our state isn't even necessary when they have unopposed options to bury the power lines and meet almost no opposition to the project.

Quite familiar with the whole Northern Pass project, and I'm similarly opposed to it for multiple reasons. However your post made it seem as if it would be ok to destroy the area if the project provided cheap power to NH residents, but not if it was merely a conduit to other states/areas.

There is a larger issue that needs to be reconciled, which is that population growth and mass consumerism/consumption are not compatible with preserving all areas in pristine conditions in the way they have been for thousands of years.

I won't claim to know the specifics of your lifestyle, so I don't mean that as a comment directed at you, but I do find it curious when people oppose certain projects, but then act in a manner that is a contributor to the things they rail against. EG: anyone driving a Prius to "save the environment" is sans-clue.

The White Mountain National Forest has ski areas; Waterville, Wildcat, Loon, Bretton Woods, Cranmore, Attitash, and Cannon on its property that are permitted by the US Dept Agriculture special use permits. How different are the wind turbines from the ski lift towers and will a wind farm qualify for a special use permit?

Presently, down on TEnney Mt Hgwy in Plymouth, the recently installed wood utility poles are really huge and spaced close together while the huge insulator brackets and power line have yet to be installed. How's that all going to look, a great big utility line running down Highland Ave, FAirground Rd, and Tenney Mt Hgwy in PLymouth?

I watched a documentary on Netflix last night about windmills in the town of Meredith NY called Windfall I wold recommend you all watch it. Particularly those of you who can see no downside to these things!

Might be a good way to get rid of those surplus defecating Canada geese!!!

from Abenaki Tower in Tuftonboro
 

This must be what I could see last Monday evening at sunset (it was a clear day) from Abenaki Tower. I was astounded to see wind turbines along a ridge in the distance. Has anyone else noticed this and is it the wind farm in Groton?

I agree with you, I am by no means a tree huger opposed to everything.
I just a look around during the summer months and with a little imagination one can see that down the road this whole area is going to be one big traffic nightmare as more and more flood to the now less populated areas of the lakes region.
But there are still some up north areas that should at all cost be left out of reach even for the most wealthy.
Living in this area verses coming up with my boy's to vacation has opened my eyes to things I never really looked at or cared about.
Oh and Super Duty Diesel by necessity of job, but looking to replace an aging gas SUV with a more fuel efficient Tacoma soon. Prius=speed bump!

Wind farm proves windfall for tiny town of Groton
 

By PAULA TRACY
New Hampshire Union Leader
GROTON — The tiny town of Groton has a huge new source of revenue.

The windfall is from a wind farm now going up along its ridge lines and visible from the Pemi-Baker Valley.

Selectmen inked a 15-year-agreement with the Spanish wind energy giant Iberdrola which brings in $528,000 in the first year. The 2012 Groton town budget is $546,000; if all approved warrant articles are included, it totals $742,000, according to Pamela Hamel, administrative assistant to the Selectboard.

Iberdrola is moving to complete its $120 million, 48-megawatt project by the end of the year.

The Groton payment in lieu of tax agreement states that once the turbines are licensed and operating, each of the 24 turbines will net the town $22,000 a year. The PILOT base fee also increases annually by 2.5 percent, Hamel said.

“It's huge,” Hamel said of the tax impact of the project, which is the only commercial business in town.

She said the community of just under 600 has nine miles of paved road, six street lights, one bridge, no fire department or ambulance, and a tax rate of $12.24 per $1,000 of assessed value. Groton sends about 70 children to neighboring Newfound Regional School District — the town's largest expense.

Hamel said the Groton Selectboard is first looking to use some of the money to capitalize reserve funds and to fix up the roads, which she said are in tough shape.

“We've been on a shoestring budget for so long,” she said.

She noted the town has already received construction payments for 2011 and 2012 totaling $100,000 and also netted $236,000 when the land being used for the project went out of current use. The town will still receive taxes on the private land, but at a higher rate beginning next April.

The reaction from townspeople to the 400-foot-high turbines has been “great,” she said.

Few residents even see the project from their property, because of the way the roads and views are configured.

“We're kind of disappointed about that,” she said.

She acknowledged that not all in the region are as enthusiastic, particularly those who live in the Baker River Valley who are used to looking at ridge lines without any structures.

Surrounding towns do not receive any income because the project lies solely in Groton.

New Hampshire will receive money through its utility property tax assessment, which has not yet been established. It will also receive business enterprise and business profits tax revenue.

The electricity from the project, estimated to be enough to power 20,000 homes, is being sold to NSTAR at an undisclosed price per-kilowatt-hour.

Ed Cherian, the project developer, said 18 of the 24 Groton turbines are now complete.

“We're actually ahead of schedule,” he said.

While he said there are likely individuals and landowners who are not happy with the sight of the towers, the project has enjoyed the cooperation and support of not only Groton, but Holderness, Rumney and Plymouth officials.

The company's first wind farm in Lempster is half the size of the Groton project and almost four years old.

http://www.unionleader.com/article/2...WS05/708279935

If all the deceased people in the Plymouth town cemetary on Fairgrounds Rd could talk, they would probably be bitch'n big time about the huge, ugly utility poles and large insulator brackets and wires that now run along the front roadside border of their final resting spot.

Rest in peace ......... not any more buddy......this new Fairgrounds Rd, Plymouth, power line is humongously ugggggly for a combination alive residential and deceased town cemetary area!

I don't know but could be the ugliest thing about the wind farm is not the wind turbines but the new powerline of 100' high wood poles and big wire lines and insulator brackets that now run down Tenney Mt Hgwy-Highland Ave- out front Plymouth police station- over Rt 93-enroute to big power line in Campton.

...................

You know the Town of Ashland leased out enough land in their Pemigewasset River waste water treatment facility to a cell phone tower and gets about $1600/month for it. The spot is similar to Groton as it has little to no effect to people living in Ashland but is highly visible to people in neighboring Bridgewater along the Pemi River. So, one town's unseen monthly money-maker is the neighbor town's ugly view to be look'n at......forever! It's the New Hampshire way!

A bunch of smart selectmen in the town of Groton.

Just look at their annual budget and look at the tax revenue coming in.

Some real smart Yankee selectment in Groton.

Why is it that the same folks who are against the Northern Pass are all FOR the Keystone Pipeline?

The Granit State View
 

Now that our view contains windmills, I think we should get a break form our view tax. Shall we charge the Town of Groton?

I guess I dont get it..... EVERYBODY wants cheap energy... but NOBODY is ever happy.

Nobody wants Wind Power..... its unsightly and spoils the view

Nobody wants Water Power... the transmission lines are unsightly

Nobody wants Coal Power.... too much emissions and greenhouse gas

Nobody wants Natural Gas.... nobody wants a pipeline

Nobody wants Hydrogen... expensive and requires external electricity

Nobody wants Nuclear.... radiation & nuclear waste

Nobody wants Solar... the solar panels are expensive and unsightly

its just a quick syynopsis of my take on the subject of energy needs. Bottom line is we do need all of these sources and more... if you want affordable energy.

Woodsy

It's not that Wind Power is just "unsightly" , some people are complaining about the low frequency noise.

Here is a video that was compiled using excerpts of a radio interview with people who live near the Fox Island Wind Farm located in Vinalhaven, an island community about 12 miles off the coast of Maine.. Those speaking are describing their experience of living with turbine noise:

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Bw4S98SYHiE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Not to be rude but that was kind of boring. It would have gone a long way for them to get this so called low frequency noise on video rather than have someone rant on and on about it.

I sleep with a fan on at night so it wouldn't bother me one bit.

I agree with you Woodsy
 

But this is at the expense of NH natives. The power is going South and the owner is foreign. It only benefits the Groton folks who can't see the windmills from their homes and roads.

I was against the 'Greenshell Alliance' back when they tried to shut down Seabrook nuclear. I see shutting down Bow and other polluting plants which is more dangerous than Seabrook.

There was an interview not long ago with the leader of this alliance and he wish they had not shut down Seabrook 2 because the Bow plant is polluting to this day.

Today 50% of NH's electricity comes from natural gas. Many of the small coal, oil and diesel generators were converted. The coal Bow uses come from the Northwest. It has very low sulfur and other contents compared to the Appalachian coal. Bow is cleaner but very sooty. Just ask any of Bow's neighbors.

I think that video was rather misleading at best. It showed many multiple wind turbines seemingly all over the place on Vinalhaven Island. There were at least four or five different Brands AND Types of turbine.

In real life, Vinalhaven has Three 1.5 Mega Watt turbines..TOTAL. They are all the same brand and type. They are intended to supply the island with power. The power was not intended to be exported off the island.

In our case, (Portsmouth, RI,) OUR 1.5 MW Turbine was put on the ballot and the majority won and it was built. It is owned and operated by the town. I posted earlier in this thread about our turbine and it's problems. OUR three year old turbine doesn't make any noise AT ALL..because it's been broke all summer. :D

On more than one occasion I have stood directly beneath the turbine when it was running at full tilt at max capacity. The hum from a room air conditioner is far more obnoxious.

For some reason it seems to me that the Green Crowd were the ones that wanted the turbine. NOW: I think that same crowd has turned, and want the turbine gone. Just a guess. :look: :look: NB

FYI, I applied for a government grant to build a power generation facility. I'll spare you all the details, but the power comes from overweight unruly children sentenced to ride bicycles connected to power generators in dark basements.

This project will teach responsibility to kids, get their doughy asses in shape, and provide a source of cheap renewable energy that doesn't impede anyone's ability to enjoy the outdoors. I haven't heard back yet on the status of my application, but I'm expecting approval any day now.

We already have a room full of exercycles, generators, wiring, etc.

Now wait just a minute there, the smell will impede my ability to enjoy the landscape! Can you imagine the smell of the raw waste exhaust coming from that basement? Won't that have to be filtered, and then the filters will have to be disposed of? And what of the noise? The incessant whining from those cellulite-laden power sources is going to be unbearable...
:D:D

If you think wind turbines are unattractive, wait until they come for your coal or natural gas. You are not the first state to have your natural resources cxploited for the benefit of consumers in other states, or the profit of owners in other countires.

Forgot to mention, it's going to be right near the Vermont border, so the funny smells won't seem out of place.

Can't Remember
 

When the Portsmouth, RI, Town owned wind turbine was first started up.... WE..The Town.. were selling power to National Grid at about 14 cents/KWH. (Retail) NOW: We are selling power to National Grid at a little less than 4 Cents/KWH. OH WELL. :look:

OUR Problem: We have Politicians running the Turbine rather than engineers. So now we have a DEAD Turbine. :look: NB

Oil oil oil !!!!!!

Why is the Turbine "DEAD"?

The "View Tax" is charged even to blind property owners. :eek2:

Plant some trees—selectively—everybody wins. :)

windfarm
 

I dont like seeing ski areas on Mountains,

I don't like seeing long docks that stick way out into the lake

I don't like looking at the blight of multi million dollar homes with huge boat houses on the lake

I dont llike it when I see cell phone towers

I don't like going down south and seeing oil wells and derricks

I don't like seeing high tension lines, ESPECIALLY through the woods

we should all shut of the power, cancel the next oil delivery, no more propane either

Bundle up whiners, its gonna be a long winter, oh, and no wood stoves, they pollute too and make my eyes water, better go to New Orleans or someplace else warm and safe.....

FLL you are missing the point.
 

None of this electricity is benefiting NH. Let them build them in the states the electricity is going too not here. Let them build them on top of the hills of Mass or right off the coast so they can see them when they go to the beach.
Nobody wants them down there either and they are the ones all this supposedly cheap power is being brought to. The ones that will benefit the most are the biggest whiners, just look at the progress on the wind farm they wanted to put out in the ocean as an example.
That is the biggest issue most of us have, we do not benefit one bit.

Great point Belmont.Remember how fast Ted Kennedy lobbied to stop the windmill project in HIS neighborhood

Even though I don't mind the looks of them I completely agree with you. The energy created here should be used here to drive down our already inflated cost of electricity.

Rusty: See posts number 11 and number 29. :look: NB

PS: "Rumor" has it that the "Town Planner" was managing the turbine and was able to Reset the turbine if an Error Code shut down the turbine due to some problem detected by the software. The whole story seems very merky, and unlikely to me. There are factions involved here and if anybody knows for sure..nobody's talking. I went to a town meeting last week where they were supposed to talk about the turbine problem. The topic was "Tabled" until a later date. :D

Thanks NoBozo.

I wonder how many times the "reset" button was hit just to keep it running?

You would think that some kind of a circuit breaker wouldn't allow the "reset" button to be pushed too many times.

Have to wait until the turbines start operating and turning with the wind to see how much if any noise is made and how it sounds at the relatively close-by Plymouth Wal-Mart parking lot and its' neighboring Health Place-Speare Health Clinic, White Mountain Eye Clinic, and Pemi Baker Community Health Clinic, multiple discipline health professional health care clinic ..... aka ....."The Health Place."

How much noise can five wind turbines make, as heard from a distance of about one mile at the Plymouth Health Place and Plymouth Wal-Mart locations which are located high up on a hill and to the east of the Tenney Montain Ridge which has about five turbines currently looking all complete with all three propeller wings on each unit.

How much noise.......the answer is blowing in the wind?


Another question is what's the negotiated price/kilowatt that N-Star of Boston will pay Iberdrola of Spain for their Groton Wind electricity? How much......what's the price?

The Town of Plymouth has always been so picky-wicky with what they allow in terms of signs and construction so it strikes me as unusual that Plymouth would be at all happy with the 100' wood utility poles, spaced twice as close as the older shorter poles they replace that now run down Tenney Mt Hgwy-Highland Ave-Fairgrounds Rd-Riverside Cemetary-Plymouth Police Dept-Rt 3- crossing above Rt 93, and have yet to get wired with insulator brackets and wire lines enroute to a substation in neighboring Campton.

Kind of agree with FLL
 

It took the town three plus years for Lowes to back down and move out. All this crap about ground water, parking lot run off, etc. that they give to developers and they miss the sky above them.

Could be that the Town of Plymouth will get increased larger property taxes from all the newly installed, tall, fat, 100' high utility poles ........have no clue.....is there a property tax-utility pole know-it-all on board here?

The selectmen may want to label the increased revenue as new money they wish they were not receiving ..... Just to save some face ... and distance themself from these monster utility poles ..... ho-ho-ho .......

Pole Tax
 

Believe it or not, the municipal, county and state gets some kind of revenue from the transmission poles. In fact this fee is the largest expense paid by the utilities.

Our Turbine
 

I thought some may find this interesting. When our RI Turbine had been running for awhile, I bumped into a guy up at the Turbine site and struck up a conversation with him. I am an engineer and had become Enchanted with this machine. He had a connections with town government but I don't know what kind of connection.

He had a Laptop in his car and showed me how he could link up with the Turbine....via WiFi or Cell Phone I don't know. He could access any parameter he wanted. The website he was accessing was the company in Canada that built the turbine. The builder was monitoring the turbine real time all the time. (They went bankrupt a year later)

He told me this access would be available online to any resident shortly. This Access never happened.

I suspect our Town Planner inherited this Laptop. Weather the Town Planner could Control the turbine from the Laptop or not, is still speculation. :look: :look: NB

PS: This was my Personal interaction with some of the people who built the turbine and local town officials who later managed it in the beginning. I had no connections and was just interested as an engineer. :)

To go a tad further all lands should be given back to the native Americans who were here first:

Winnecowet Native American Tribe.

Piscataqua Native American Tribe.

Coosuc Native American Tribe.

Souhegan Native American Tribe.

Newichawanoc Native American Tribe.

Wamosit Native American Tribe.

Squamscot Native American Tribe.

Pennacook Native American Tribe.

Amoskeag Native American Tribe.

Winnipesaukee Native American Tribe.

These folks were here first and your house is sitting on their land. And I don't think that they like the view of looking at your house on their land.

Are the turbines on the hill up behind WalMart?