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Wind turbines stir up bad feelings, health concerns in DeKal

Chicago Tribune -- Months have passed since anyone has waved hello to one another in Waterman or Shabbona in rural DeKalb County. Some people claim they've even stopped going to church to avoid having to talk to former friends.
"It's gone. The country way of living is gone," declares Susan Flex, who lives in Waterman with her husband and their nine children.
The animosity stems from the greenest of energy sources: a wind farm.

The turbines started arriving last summer, at a rate of two a day, their parts trucked in on flatbeds. Today 126 turbines dot the county, with another 19 just over the border in Lee County. They have been making enough electricity since December to power 55,000 homes, roughly twice the needs of Oak Park.

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Submitted Mar 14, 2010 By: fordmexico

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Hangnail309 Champion Author Manitoba Posts:1,444 Points:761,590 Joined:Aug 2006	Message Posted: Mar 14, 2010 8:15:20 AM Ignore Hangnail309 Report Abuse Not everyone cannot be pleased ...
mk9999 Champion Author Rochester Posts:2,982 Points:697,195 Joined:Aug 2008	Message Posted: Mar 14, 2010 8:15:06 AM Ignore mk9999 Report Abuse We need a lot more wind power in this country.
albert2008 Champion Author Winnipeg Posts:2,483 Points:531,885 Joined:Sep 2008	Message Posted: Mar 14, 2010 8:12:14 AM Ignore albert2008 Report Abuse we cant have it both ways its either green or not
Foxt Veteran Author Minnesota Posts:396 Points:1,059,735 Joined:Jul 2006	Message Posted: Mar 14, 2010 8:09:53 AM Ignore Foxt Report Abuse And God forbid, put those turbines on public land or maybe even in national parks! Environmentalists would be in court to block that move right away!
diatzikis All-Star Author Raleigh Posts:718 Points:196,855 Joined:Jul 2008	Message Posted: Mar 14, 2010 8:08:22 AM Ignore diatzikis Report Abuse What, may be due to the fact it's winter? Or maybe the people there are to blame. Give me a break 'I've stop going to church so I don't have to talk to anyone, and it's becuse of the wind turbins. To me it should like they are doing this all to get ready for a lawsuit.
Cachase1 Champion Author Oklahoma City Posts:6,468 Points:1,404,655 Joined:Aug 2003	Message Posted: Mar 14, 2010 8:04:31 AM Ignore Cachase1 Report Abuse If it is such a problem there, just build them here.
THEDodgeman Champion Author Denver Posts:3,078 Points:974,165 Joined:Apr 2005	Message Posted: Mar 14, 2010 8:04:12 AM Ignore THEDodgeman Report Abuse IDIOTS
pnd1 Champion Author Tallahassee Posts:1,885 Points:374,980 Joined:Jul 2009	Message Posted: Mar 14, 2010 7:40:59 AM Ignore pnd1 Report Abuse Environmentalists want "clean energy" but just not in their own backyard. Sounds like Al Gore. Do as I say, not as I do.
Don1222 Champion Author Michigan Posts:6,229 Points:766,080 Joined:Jul 2008	Message Posted: Mar 14, 2010 7:36:40 AM Ignore Don1222 Report Abuse Everyone cannot be pleased.
clermont40miles Champion Author Cincinnati Posts:4,766 Points:808,620 Joined:Apr 2008	Message Posted: Mar 14, 2010 7:33:29 AM Ignore clermont40miles Report Abuse The city folks don't care what the country folks have to put up with every day. They just want their power. And they smugly are glad green power is being generated: NIMBY. It's always easy to criticize when you don't have to put up with the consequences. The negatives of wind keep piling up. EcoNutz and PC baloney will keep pushing alternative power generation regardless of the downside. That's the Nutz & Political part.
nb52 Champion Author Grand Rapids Posts:2,887 Points:581,965 Joined:Nov 2008	Message Posted: Mar 14, 2010 7:32:03 AM Ignore nb52 Report Abuse This is typical bureaucrat policy making. The whoosh Ken heard will keep awake, someone who is used to the quiet of the country, where you can hear a jet engine at 40,000 feet overhead, at night. I would like to know the investment return on these $1 million turbines. Sounds like the time period for return would be many many years, if at all.
Rbl197 Champion Author Wilmington Posts:10,779 Points:2,199,930 Joined:Apr 2004	Message Posted: Mar 14, 2010 7:31:19 AM Ignore Rbl197 Report Abuse NIMBY
tomok Champion Author Portland Posts:18,335 Points:1,370,060 Joined:Aug 2006	Message Posted: Mar 14, 2010 7:28:59 AM Ignore tomok Report Abuse There are still many places wind turbines can happen and not affect people. Keep the turbines at a safe distance from people and protect them from the light flicker, noise, and vibration of the turbine and ground.
dhawk24 Champion Author Maine Posts:3,073 Points:676,355 Joined:Jul 2008	Message Posted: Mar 14, 2010 7:27:15 AM Ignore dhawk24 Report Abuse The USA has many miles of coastline. Put them offshore. I am sure the fish will not mind the noise...
LocalSpyGuy Champion Author Tampa Posts:2,950 Points:616,295 Joined:Nov 2008	Message Posted: Mar 14, 2010 7:26:42 AM Ignore LocalSpyGuy Report Abuse I admit that they may be an eye sore but where is there a health issue?
chuck3059 Sophomore Author Indiana Posts:113 Points:183,670 Joined:Sep 2008	Message Posted: Mar 14, 2010 7:25:17 AM Ignore chuck3059 Report Abuse Yes turbines are expensive but so are hydroelectric dams, coal and nuclear power plants. Nothing is free.
tankneverfull Champion Author Charlotte Posts:4,247 Points:831,445 Joined:Apr 2008	Message Posted: Mar 14, 2010 7:23:18 AM Ignore tankneverfull Report Abuse Health concerns about windmills? Boy are we out of touch these days.
TeachR06 Champion Author Raleigh Posts:3,535 Points:1,012,760 Joined:Sep 2006	Message Posted: Mar 14, 2010 7:21:08 AM Ignore TeachR06 Report Abuse Turbines are a good alternative.
katmandue Champion Author Detroit Posts:3,165 Points:1,174,680 Joined:Jul 2006	Message Posted: Mar 14, 2010 7:20:13 AM Ignore katmandue Report Abuse They do have a large foot print is you add them all together. They need to find a paint that lowers there visibility.
Redink Champion Author Indianapolis Posts:2,448 Points:468,170 Joined:Aug 2005	Message Posted: Mar 14, 2010 7:16:30 AM Ignore Redink Report Abuse The cost of about 3 miliion a windmill is very high, howevre even at todays rpices the payback is about 10 years. They areunsightly, but the footprint is not that large.
fillerupyeoww All-Star Author Columbus Posts:966 Points:676,480 Joined:Mar 2008	Message Posted: Mar 14, 2010 7:15:22 AM Ignore fillerupyeoww Report Abuse What an excuse for not going to church..lol!
bbreff Champion Author Atlanta Posts:5,184 Points:1,641,070 Joined:Jun 2005	Message Posted: Mar 14, 2010 7:14:32 AM Ignore bbreff Report Abuse What health concerns.
applejoe Champion Author Twin Cities Posts:2,687 Points:557,045 Joined:May 2001	Message Posted: Mar 14, 2010 7:12:53 AM Ignore applejoe Report Abuse I like the idea of clean green energy and I'm by no means a greenie dog. But I have never seen any reports of the massive amount of environmental impact studies done for these massive wind farms. We have a bridge here in Minnesota that the Serra Club has on hold for over 30 years and the price tag rises a million dollars a month for every month that this project is on hold. Soon it will be argued that the cost is to high and a cheaper design is needed and the process will start all over. This bridge project took over 10 years to study the environment first and then the Serra Club took over from there.
turbosaab Champion Author Cleveland Posts:9,139 Points:1,438,665 Joined:Sep 2006	Message Posted: Mar 14, 2010 7:11:23 AM Ignore turbosaab Report Abuse What is the cost of the windmill derived energy in both dollars and mental health?
MertieMan Champion Author Lexington Posts:9,842 Points:1,921,235 Joined:May 2005	Message Posted: Mar 14, 2010 7:10:20 AM Ignore MertieMan Report Abuse People get me, they gripe over alternative energy and want it at the same time, but they don't want to change anything including the wind farm type of energy. Shut up, shake hands, forget it and move on with your life.
cathevan Champion Author Manitoba Posts:2,133 Points:524,025 Joined:May 2007	Message Posted: Mar 14, 2010 7:09:49 AM Ignore cathevan Report Abuse there is noise pollution attributed to wind energy - it cannot / should not be ignored
Metroman Champion Author Philadelphia Posts:8,202 Points:1,647,470 Joined:Aug 2003	Message Posted: Mar 14, 2010 7:08:43 AM Ignore Metroman Report Abuse Sounds like they are jealous of the landowners that made deals to have the wind turbines on their land.
carefrey All-Star Author Orlando Posts:985 Points:221,980 Joined:Sep 2009	Message Posted: Mar 14, 2010 7:07:41 AM Ignore carefrey Report Abuse Energy of the future get over it!
racerdj Champion Author Indianapolis Posts:4,925 Points:1,082,985 Joined:Jun 2003	Message Posted: Mar 14, 2010 7:07:28 AM Ignore racerdj Report Abuse Has the health issue been studied?
netman044 Champion Author Texas Posts:3,844 Points:646,060 Joined:Sep 2005	Message Posted: Mar 14, 2010 7:01:37 AM Ignore netman044 Report Abuse As more windfarms are built, it is inevitable that some will be built in areas that are semi-rural instead of rural. That means there will be conflict with people over land use. I don't live under or near one so I am not going to pass judgment on those who do. We do however need the energy.
dhawk24 Champion Author Maine Posts:3,073 Points:676,355 Joined:Jul 2008	Message Posted: Mar 14, 2010 7:01:18 AM Ignore dhawk24 Report Abuse To fcdriver. Try sleeping with one next to your bedroom window. I feel bad for these people because we only have a few here, but it is still way too many...
curlypooh Champion Author New Jersey Posts:4,952 Points:1,037,165 Joined:Apr 2007	Message Posted: Mar 14, 2010 7:01:02 AM Ignore curlypooh Report Abuse Yesterday is gone and all the old stuff too, get over it!
rogerparry Champion Author Florida Posts:4,624 Points:941,505 Joined:Jan 2008	Message Posted: Mar 14, 2010 7:00:03 AM Ignore rogerparry Report Abuse Change is always hard to accept.
naw62 Champion Author Maine Posts:4,565 Points:1,249,770 Joined:Sep 2006	Message Posted: Mar 14, 2010 6:57:09 AM Ignore naw62 Report Abuse Sounds like big oil is behind it tyhey want to stop them
FPLREP Champion Author Virginia Posts:3,375 Points:1,501,785 Joined:Oct 2005	Message Posted: Mar 14, 2010 6:56:57 AM Ignore FPLREP Report Abuse Start having power outages due to lack of generation capacity and the attitudes will change!
fcdriver Champion Author Tennessee Posts:2,864 Points:602,445 Joined:Sep 2008	Message Posted: Mar 14, 2010 6:54:51 AM Ignore fcdriver Report Abuse i dont think they are as bad as people think
MrPeteH Rookie Author Colorado Springs Posts:3 Points:6,560 Joined:May 2009	Message Posted: Mar 14, 2010 6:50:56 AM Ignore MrPeteH Report Abuse WOW. Watch this to understand the problem of shadow flicker and the noise... add this to youtube dot com: /watch?v=iyOImGHyJtQ These things don't belong anywhere near people (or animals for that matter!) I would guess at least 1/2 mile from any housing. The video shows the sound and shadows from 1120 feet away. I would have thought that would be enough but clearly needs to be much further. (My wife, an ecologist, also notes that wind turbines kill a LOT of birds. Yet another unanticipated problem...) [Edited by: MrPeteH at 3/14/2010 7:51:57 AM EST]
FuelOilOH Champion Author Cleveland Posts:1,120 Points:575,570 Joined:Oct 2007	Message Posted: Mar 14, 2010 6:46:55 AM Ignore FuelOilOH Report Abuse I can understand the shadow flicker effect on a person's vision. A friend of mine gets severe vertigo attacks from high frequency flicker like fluorescent lights and computer displays. The human brain is different in each of us. Some have issues with what others call non events. I like the idea of wind energy but the turbines need to be far away from residential areas.
afghaned Champion Author Hamilton Posts:4,390 Points:313,750 Joined:May 2004	Message Posted: Mar 14, 2010 6:41:11 AM Ignore afghaned Report Abuse Just think of what the children of these adults are being taught!!!! Collateral damage with no real understanding.
SSchmidty Champion Author Illinois Posts:4,341 Points:821,295 Joined:Mar 2008	Message Posted: Mar 14, 2010 6:35:16 AM Ignore SSchmidty Report Abuse There's always fits and starts to any transition to different products and clarity for the ROI.
throttle Champion Author Maryland Posts:7,877 Points:1,655,405 Joined:Jul 2004	Message Posted: Mar 14, 2010 6:35:11 AM Ignore throttle Report Abuse There is no progress which doesn't involve change. Some don't want any change.
stpetebp Champion Author Tampa Posts:2,942 Points:845,865 Joined:Nov 2007	Message Posted: Mar 14, 2010 6:35:06 AM Ignore stpetebp Report Abuse Good for them, its a start
rowing All-Star Author Macon Posts:880 Points:261,610 Joined:Sep 2009	Message Posted: Mar 14, 2010 6:29:12 AM Ignore rowing Report Abuse must be saving money with them
olcowboy14 Champion Author Spokane Posts:4,685 Points:743,950 Joined:Jul 2007	Message Posted: Mar 14, 2010 6:26:52 AM Ignore olcowboy14 Report Abuse Wind turbines are not cheap, but then neither are hydro electric dams. Every now and then I drive by a bunch of turbines (20 or so) on what was a nice looking ridge, I have yet to find one of them turning. But we have them.
biza4u Champion Author New Haven Posts:3,626 Points:660,430 Joined:Jan 2007	Message Posted: Mar 14, 2010 6:24:57 AM Ignore biza4u Report Abuse These people need to grow up and move on with the real world
jppezz Champion Author New Mexico Posts:3,649 Points:717,130 Joined:Jun 2008	Message Posted: Mar 14, 2010 6:23:36 AM Ignore jppezz Report Abuse So what's wrong with wind turbines if it helps our energy problem. Thes people need to get over it.Clear energy no poluttion. Maybe they would prefer a coal or nuclear plant instead.
RocketGeek Champion Author Grand Rapids Posts:5,622 Points:1,137,985 Joined:May 2005	Message Posted: Mar 14, 2010 6:22:36 AM Ignore RocketGeek Report Abuse They should embrace their new pride; the pride of helping to power our nation.
ArmydudeNC Champion Author North Carolina Posts:3,210 Points:404,100 Joined:Jul 2009	Message Posted: Mar 14, 2010 6:20:53 AM Ignore ArmydudeNC Report Abuse Good for them.
JCUBE Champion Author Michigan Posts:3,566 Points:951,075 Joined:Aug 2003	Message Posted: Mar 14, 2010 6:18:56 AM Ignore JCUBE Report Abuse You can't win for losin', someone is always going to gripe about something....All the political correctness and all that rot just make me want to puke.
epf Champion Author Grand Rapids Posts:1,594 Points:926,825 Joined:May 2004	Message Posted: Mar 14, 2010 6:18:39 AM Ignore epf Report Abuse American's need to stop being selfish, grow-up people, the world is changing, quickly.
theawesome1 Champion Author Cleveland Posts:3,661 Points:810,140 Joined:Aug 2005	Message Posted: Mar 14, 2010 6:15:09 AM Ignore theawesome1 Report Abuse We have on in our neighborhood in a scrap yard. Folks driving I-480 between Ridge Rd & State Rd exits enjoy the beautiful piece of art in the wind. I does not whirl away in high wind. It moves North or South, East to West to gain wind in that direction. I drive over to it & stood watching it. I heard nothing.... Downtown the Science Center next to Browns Stadium has had one for 3 years. Again no o ne is bugged by it & it is powering the Rock Hall, the Science Center & Browns Stadium with the Warehouse district condos & businesses. So I want one in my backyard. I would call it the ultimate plant. No watering needed. I'd like free power.........
cajun57 Veteran Author North Carolina Posts:264 Points:767,590 Joined:Sep 2005	Message Posted: Mar 14, 2010 6:13:18 AM Ignore cajun57 Report Abuse I find a windmill a prettier site than an oil rig plus the ground is cleaner. Come put a windmill in my backyard. I don't care what the neighbors say.