Another Wind Farm - Dixville NH - 180 MW

[peakbagger]

I noticed a blurb in the Berlin NH Paper that there is another windfarm being actively developed north of the Millsfield windfarm. The Millsfield farm has most of the approvals and is waiting for a wetlands permit prior to start of construction. The proposed site looks to be north of RT 26 near Grafton Notch. The company, Wagner Woodlands manages a lot of timberland in the area.

The proposed 180 MW windfarm would require a major transmission system upgrade to support it. Most likely installing larger towers on the existing right of way that roughly wraps around the northern portion of the WMNF. As the state is still in the process of studying it and figuring out how to pay for the upgrade, I dont think there is going to be a lot of clearing going on anytime soon.

The limited description is on page 8

http://www.laconiadailysun.com/BerlinPDF/2009/11/24B.pdf

 

[Waumbek]

I need to educate myself about windfarms since proposals may start popping up in my area soon. I've read an earlier thread in which proponents praise them as a "green" initiative, however flawed, and opponents argue that they'll be white elephants soon enough, aren't worth the high elevation habitat destruction, and are being constructed by those hungry for government subsidies. Is there any reliable 'consumer report' type of analysis by a disinterested party?

 

[Mike P.]

Mid-American, a large Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary, an utility & energy company has been actively looking for windfarms out in Iowa & vicinity.

While hardly "disinterested" I'm inclined to think that they see benefit to laying out big dollars for the MW's they are adding to the grid. High initial cost but only maintaince afterwards & world politics & currency changes don't impact it.

Disclaimer: I'm a Berkshire employee, but not at Mid-American.

 

[peakbagger]

Waumbek, good luck getting a rational easy to read unbiased commentary on industrial wind. There are passionate defenders and detractors on both sides of the pro wind/anti wind argument. Its hard to make generalizations as what applies in the Northeast doesnt neccesarilly apply in the middle Atlantic or Texas. Generally it comes down to educated opinion and like the recent blow up about the climate change e-mails shows, even scientists who appear to be objective observers, are not so objective.

IMHO, as an observer on the ground in the North Country, I have seen the sustainable timber industry collapse in the last 20 years, with most of the towns and families north of Route 2 and west of RT 16 devastated. Large blocks of long term forestland have been and currently are being cut up and sold for future subdivisions or "kingdom" lots. The standard recomendation to the scores of people lined up at the local unemployment offices is move elsewhere as there isnt any reason to stay here, unless you want to work in a prison or a retirement home. The few folks who earn a living wage off of tourism are the business owners and generally their profits are on the backs of numerous low wage/no benefits workers. If windfarms can generate some cash for a timber owner to keep their land in large contiguous blocks rather than cutting it up to be listed with Landvest or Fountains Forestry for prices that assure that the land cant be sustainably forested, I think its a worthy tradeoff. Others will not agree and therein lies the argument.

PM me is you want some more opinion, but realize the politics of power generation are right up there with oil!.

 

[jniehof]

Waumbek, the AMC has a pretty extensive set of papers on wind power. I'd hardly call them "disinterested", but we're talking an organization with recreation AND land conservation AND alternative energy priorities, so there's maybe some balance. Plus, they've supported some projects and not others; even if one might disagree with the specific selections, they're not "always put the windmill up" nor "never put the windmill up." Might be a starting point.