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Wind power


Would you be supportive of a wind farm in NWA?  

20 members have voted

  1. 1. Would you be supportive of a wind farm in NWA?

    • Yes
      18
    • No
      2


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wherewind565w.jpg

Johnny found the map I had seen before. Then I couldn't find it again to post here. He posted it over in the Little Rock forum because Little Rock just announced a factory that will be building parts of the windmills.

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With Fayetteville being so 'progressive' I wish there was a way for the city to somehow look into a wind farm themselves. Our metro isn't in the top category for the state. But I've seen a wind farm in New Mexico that appears to be in the same category that we are in. That's also not to say that the wind farm would have to be right next to the metro. Perhaps a little more into the Boston Mtns along I-540 that's in that higher category for winds.

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  • 2 months later...

The Wal Mart out on Pleasant Grove Rd. in Rogers has a little windmill on top of one of the light poles in the parking lot and it's said that all of the lights in the parking lot are running off of the wind power. I saw it a few days ago and I was wondering what it was because well you don't really see anything like that in NWA. I figured that that was what it was used for. I'll try to get a picture of it in a few days.

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The Wal Mart out on Pleasant Grove Rd. in Rogers has a little windmill on top of one of the light poles in the parking lot and it's said that all of the lights in the parking lot are running off of the wind power. I saw it a few days ago and I was wondering what it was because well you don't really see anything like that in NWA. I figured that that was what it was used for. I'll try to get a picture of it in a few days.

I've heard of some Wal-marts experimenting with stuff like that but I hadn't heard of any in Arkansas. I believe there are some in Texas that actually have a somewhat larger windmill.

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  • 6 months later...

Alternative energy has been mentioned a bit in the Fayetteville topic recently and I wanted to chime in over here some as well. I think many of us know SWEPCO has angered and frustrated a number of people in Fayetteville. Some possible alternatives have been mentioned. I'm still pretty big on the idea of wind power. I'm not sure which would be the best alternative in NWA, wind or solar. We do have quite a few cloudy days and we do seem to be in one of the better spots for wind power. I've been doing a little research lately. While there are some large areas in NWA that could provide some wind power it does seem as far as Arkansas is concerned the best locations rely a lot on elevation. The Boston Mtns and the Ouachitas being the top prime locations. One of the negative aspects is that overall these areas are rather secluded and away from population centers. I admit while I do find wind power appealing I'm not sure I'd want a huge wind farm right in the middle of Newton County. I'm still hoping one day more of that county might be set aside for protection. But I found a couple of areas that looked interesting. Ironically one is located in southern Washington County. Making it rather close to the built up populated area of the metro. Another that looked even better is located just southwest of Harrison, not far at all from the city. I realize wind farms aren't going to replace any of the coal or gas powered plants we have. But I still think there's enough potential to be worth the effort.

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Alternative energy has been mentioned a bit in the Fayetteville topic recently and I wanted to chime in over here some as well. I think many of us know SWEPCO has angered and frustrated a number of people in Fayetteville. Some possible alternatives have been mentioned. I'm still pretty big on the idea of wind power. I'm not sure which would be the best alternative in NWA, wind or solar. We do have quite a few cloudy days and we do seem to be in one of the better spots for wind power. I've been doing a little research lately. While there are some large areas in NWA that could provide some wind power it does seem as far as Arkansas is concerned the best locations rely a lot on elevation. The Boston Mtns and the Ouachitas being the top prime locations. One of the negative aspects is that overall these areas are rather secluded and away from population centers. I admit while I do find wind power appealing I'm not sure I'd want a huge wind farm right in the middle of Newton County. I'm still hoping one day more of that county might be set aside for protection. But I found a couple of areas that looked interesting. Ironically one is located in southern Washington County. Making it rather close to the built up populated area of the metro. Another that looked even better is located just southwest of Harrison, not far at all from the city. I realize wind farms aren't going to replace any of the coal or gas powered plants we have. But I still think there's enough potential to be worth the effort.

No offense, but I personally would take up arms and fight to the death to keep wind farms out of the Ozarks and probably the Ouachitas too. Put them over in OK and we'll just buy the power. I'm sure since you've seen them before you know the scale needed for a farm to produce enough meaningful power and it would destroy perhaps one of the most beautiful regions of this country. No way in he!!. It isn't worth it. There's plenty of ocean space out there where wind farms can produce power with greater regularity and not destroy our land.

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No offense, but I personally would take up arms and fight to the death to keep wind farms out of the Ozarks and probably the Ouachitas too. Put them over in OK and we'll just buy the power. I'm sure since you've seen them before you know the scale needed for a farm to produce enough meaningful power and it would destroy perhaps one of the most beautiful regions of this country. No way in he!!. It isn't worth it. There's plenty of ocean space out there where wind farms can produce power with greater regularity and not destroy our land.

I understand where you're coming from. The bad thing is the further away you put your power source the more power you lose as it eventually travels over powerlines to your location. There are certainly areas of both the Ozarks and Ouachitas that I think should be off limits. But I'd still be in favor of putting in a wind farm in southern Washington County. I don't it would be too encompassing, it would mainly need to just be on the one of two of the ridges/mountains of southern Washington County to be in the most effective area. I also think the area just outside of Harrison would be a decent location as well. I don't know if Harrison really needs an alternative power source or even where they get their power from. But I guess I just feel there could be wind farms in some particular areas that wouldn't 'ruin' the Ozarks.

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I understand where you're coming from. The bad thing is the further away you put your power source the more power you lose as it eventually travels over powerlines to your location. There are certainly areas of both the Ozarks and Ouachitas that I think should be off limits. But I'd still be in favor of putting in a wind farm in southern Washington County. I don't it would be too encompassing, it would mainly need to just be on the one of two of the ridges/mountains of southern Washington County to be in the most effective area. I also think the area just outside of Harrison would be a decent location as well. I don't know if Harrison really needs an alternative power source or even where they get their power from. But I guess I just feel there could be wind farms in some particular areas that wouldn't 'ruin' the Ozarks.

I follow on the line losses. While I'm not a real proponent for the carbon trade I think if we were to use the offsets of sea borne wind in coastal areas then as a nations we could power our interior off of coal using modern technologies and more than meet emmissions reductions. If we could power even 10-20% of the coastal areas off of wind then we'd accomplish a lot more than trying to get even all of Arkansas and Missouri off of non-renewable energy. It just seems far too elegant that our best and most reliable sources of wind are very close to our densest population centers.

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I follow on the line losses. While I'm not a real proponent for the carbon trade I think if we were to use the offsets of sea borne wind in coastal areas then as a nations we could power our interior off of coal using modern technologies and more than meet emmissions reductions. If we could power even 10-20% of the coastal areas off of wind then we'd accomplish a lot more than trying to get even all of Arkansas and Missouri off of non-renewable energy. It just seems far too elegant that our best and most reliable sources of wind are very close to our densest population centers.

Yeah wind power on the coastal areas really is a good idea. For that matter a majority of the population is on the coast so that works out well. As far as the interior of the country goes the Great Plains are overall the best. Few trees to become a windbreak like you do here in Arkansas. And the plains aren't as scenic, although I guess that's a matter of opinion and I imagine a few might argue with me on that.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I've been meaning to mention this but a church in Springdale has added three windmills. Not the huge kind you find in other places. But I still found it interesting. I can't remember the name of the church. It's one that near I-540. I think I heard that the three windmills would provide 15% of it's power.

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I've been meaning to mention this but a church in Springdale has added three windmills. Not the huge kind you find in other places. But I still found it interesting. I can't remember the name of the church. It's one that near I-540. I think I heard that the three windmills would provide 15% of it's power.

I was reading something about that. This is a great thing but far from a wind far. If every home/business had the resources to include 1-5 windmills on their property, that would bring down our dependence. Though that would also look ugly... Anyway, I am all for places putting up small windmills to use on their property, or even larger ones on industrial/commercial areas. I would not however support an actual wind farm in the Ozarks.

A wind farm is beautiful when in the right setting, but in the Ozarks would be nothing but an eyesore that would barely be profitable or helpful to the environment. (I actually think one would hurt our environment more than help. Just think of all the birds that would die. All the plants/animals that would have to be displaced in order to setup and maintain them. All of the energy used in order to create and ship all of the parts here. All of the oils and maintenance parts)

You have to have constant wind and economies of scale for a wind farm to work. Neither of which can be found easily in NWA.

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I was reading something about that. This is a great thing but far from a wind far. If every home/business had the resources to include 1-5 windmills on their property, that would bring down our dependence. Though that would also look ugly... Anyway, I am all for places putting up small windmills to use on their property, or even larger ones on industrial/commercial areas. I would not however support an actual wind farm in the Ozarks.

A wind farm is beautiful when in the right setting, but in the Ozarks would be nothing but an eyesore that would barely be profitable or helpful to the environment. (I actually think one would hurt our environment more than help. Just think of all the birds that would die. All the plants/animals that would have to be displaced in order to setup and maintain them. All of the energy used in order to create and ship all of the parts here. All of the oils and maintenance parts)

You have to have constant wind and economies of scale for a wind farm to work. Neither of which can be found easily in NWA.

Although I still wouldn't have any problems with a wind farm, I also like the idea of people and businesses putting in smaller windmills as well. Every little bit helps. I do wonder about one thing though. I have heard people comment on birds dying, but I think it's a bit overstated. I've actually done a little searching and it seems to be be in debate. Although birds do die from wind farms they seem to die in similar amounts from power lines, tall buildings, even vehicles. Maybe we should put limits on how many vehicles while we're at it. :D Just kidding, but anyway adding all of that up still pales to the amount of birds that die due to domestic cats. Some sites I've checked call this an eco-myth. One study done by Danish researchers showed that a couple of Danish wind farms actually benefited birds more than hurt. I've seen some sites that does mention bird deaths caused by wind farms, but I haven't seen any specific figures or if there is any studies to back these numbers yet. Either way I guess it's something to keep an eye on. But I'm getting the feeling that you shouldn't hold back on a wind farm because of the bird factor. I also don't think you'd necessarily have to totally clear the land for a wind farm. The biggest problem I could see is trees being in the way of installing the wind mills. But the windmills I've seen out west are pretty tall. I could see having to check and maybe trim the tops of trees so they don't hit the propellers but they stand pretty high up. I guess I just don't see a wind farm doing more damage to the environment than say the coal powered plant we all use at Gentry.

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  • 1 month later...

I was reading something about that. This is a great thing but far from a wind far. If every home/business had the resources to include 1-5 windmills on their property, that would bring down our dependence. Though that would also look ugly... Anyway, I am all for places putting up small windmills to use on their property, or even larger ones on industrial/commercial areas. I would not however support an actual wind farm in the Ozarks.

A wind farm is beautiful when in the right setting, but in the Ozarks would be nothing but an eyesore that would barely be profitable or helpful to the environment. (I actually think one would hurt our environment more than help. Just think of all the birds that would die. All the plants/animals that would have to be displaced in order to setup and maintain them. All of the energy used in order to create and ship all of the parts here. All of the oils and maintenance parts)

You have to have constant wind and economies of scale for a wind farm to work. Neither of which can be found easily in NWA.

The Southpass project in Southeast Fayetteville is looking into the feasibility of a wind farm on the far western (Farmington) side of the acreage. This whole project is not only centered around a community park but also green preservation and sustainability.

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The Southpass project in Southeast Fayetteville is looking into the feasibility of a wind farm on the far western (Farmington) side of the acreage. This whole project is not only centered around a community park but also green preservation and sustainability.

I think that would be on top of Kessler Mountain which should have a steady wind but would be visible for many miles . The city would have to choose between sustainabilty and the degradation of a natural viewshed (or whatever you want to call it- I can't think of a better way at the moment). It would be very interesting to see how that would play out.

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That's interesting, I didn't realize they were considering it. I don't see them as eyesores, but obviously not everyone agrees with me. But just as people don't want to see tall buildings in Fayetteville, some people don't want to see tall wind turbines either. IN that aspect the bad thing is that all the best locations in Arkansas are basically on the hills and mountains in the state. In general the taller it is the better, but that also means the best locations are going to be more visible in some instances.

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I think that would be on top of Kessler Mountain which should have a steady wind but would be visible for many miles . The city would have to choose between sustainabilty and the degradation of a natural viewshed (or whatever you want to call it- I can't think of a better way at the moment). It would be very interesting to see how that would play out.

The preliminary site at Southpass might be out of the line of sight considering it is on the Farmington side on the other side of Kessler Mtn.

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  • 3 months later...

I read something interesting today. Apparently TradeWind Energy, located in Kansas, is thinking about locating a wind farm near Maysville in extreme northwest Arkansas. Though the article I read did make me ponder some things. It gave me the impression that this area wasn't great for wind energy because of the hilly terrain. But at the same time a lot of the data I've seen elsewhere has led me to believe the Ozarks are actually some of the best areas in the state for wind energy. But anyway apparently the company has leased 2,000 acres north of Maysville. They plan to put up a test tower to study the wind in the area to see if it has the potentially they think it has. If things work out the way they hope there could be a windfarm on 26,000 acres across the Arkansas - Oklahoma border generating enough power for 40,000 homes. Who knows how things will work out and even if things move forward I imagine there will have to be other issues addressed. I am guessing that some people will possibly fight the idea. Not really sure how long testing will take. But hopefully we'll hear more about this in upcoming months.

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  • 1 month later...

I think I would have to take back my vote in supporting the wind farms. Although it is sustainable power, I think there are questions about its effect on the ecosystem and bird patterns. I think there should be other ways to harvest wind power or sun power without visually affecting the sights and scenery.

I think we should look at ways that houses can be individually more effective at providing their own power also before we go into contracting huge amounts of land and airspace to thirsty wind companies.

There was an article in nwatimes today that brought this to my mind: Test wind towers in Washington County

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I think I would have to take back my vote in supporting the wind farms. Although it is sustainable power, I think there are questions about its effect on the ecosystem and bird patterns. I think there should be other ways to harvest wind power or sun power without visually affecting the sights and scenery.

I think we should look at ways that houses can be individually more effective at providing their own power also before we go into contracting huge amounts of land and airspace to thirsty wind companies.

There was an article in nwatimes today that brought this to my mind: Test wind towers in Washington County

I guess there really isn't anything like free power that doesn't have some sort of 'string's attached. But I'm still not sure that wind power is that bad for the environment, especially compared to other power plants. I've seen birds get hit by automobiles, but I'm not going to say we need to ban automobiles either. :D In some way or other they all have their negative aspects. But yeah I did hear about that Chicago based company putting in a couple of test towers in south Washington County just east of Winslow. I'm excited to hear about it. I don't want wind farms covering most of NWA but I don't see any problems with having a wind farm somewhere in the area. I also doubt it would be anything the size of some of the ones you see out west.

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  • 3 months later...

A potential wind farm in Benton County is still getting some press. Even though the company is still just testing. Initial results appear good and have been what the company expected so far. But tests will keep running for another year or two to get more accurate results. It also seems to have a name now, the Honey Creek Wind Farm. It would cover 26,000 acres in Arkansas and Oklahoma with 15,000 acres actually having the wind turbines. If things went the way the initial tests have gone. It would produce enough power annually to power 40,000 homes. There would be 100 turbines that would take 3-10 years to install. The landowners seem interested in the idea, but are a bit skeptical that this area has enough wind. I also provided a picture of the site from the Arkansas Democrat Gazette.

honeycreekwindfarm.jpg

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  • 4 months later...

Sounds like some potential wind farms have run into problems with there being no power lines to take the power generated anywhere. So some projects have been canceled in some areas of the country. But it sounds like the Honey Creek won't have that problem. Although they're still gathering wind data. Sounds like the company behind the wind farm is also looking into some other possible sites in the state.

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  • 9 months later...

Looks like wind power in NWA might have just taken a hit. Aside from all the issues of whether there's enough wind in the area to make it work. Along with other issues like some people being resistant to the idea. There's also the possible effect it can have on wildlife. Birds have been mentioned before, but the bigger problem now could be bats. In particular the endangered Ozark Big Ear Bat. Apparently bats don't even have to hit the blades to be killed. The change in air pressure near the blades is enough to kill bats. The possible site in Benton County might not be affected but the site in southeast Washington County is. Ivenergy, the company that has been looking at a possible location in southeast Washington County, still hasn't ruled out the site but it will make it more difficult.

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  • 5 months later...

Well doesn't look like there will be any wind farm in southeast Washington County. With an endangered bat in that area the company involved has decided to not pursue the idea. Although there had been questions in the first place in whether there would be enough sustained wind to make it feasible in the first place. But I suppose there's still the chance from the Benton County location.

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