Flat Water Wind Energy Project

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A new wind farm went up in our neck of the woods last year just across the border in Nebraska. A couple weeks ago, we finally paid it a visit.

We can’t see it from where we live, but if we go to highest hill nearby, the 40 wind turbines of this wind farm stick up above the horizon.

Each one was made by Gereral Electric and is 262 feet (80 m) high so they can be seen for miles around.  To stand among them is like being surrounded by giants, and made me feel very small.

Each has 3 fiberglass blades with a diameter of 271 feet (82 m) across.

They generate electricity for the Omaha Public Power District.

We can’t get up close to them as they put fencing up around them, but the farmer who owns the land can still farm around them.

Are there any wind farms where you live?

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Suzanne

Cattle, corn, wheat, beans, mud, snow, ice, and drought. Plenty of fresh air and quiet. Our life is sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes joyous, but never boring.

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22 Responses

  1. Chester's Mom says:

    Suzanne, do they make any noise? If so,is it objectionable.

    • Suzanne says:

      It’s a constant whiny whiny whiny noise. Not loud, but with all 40 of them doing it, it is annoying. We’re used to absolute silence where we live, so we were glad to go home.

  2. Louise S says:

    First saw these when we moved from Oklahoma to northern California in 1987, and I must say they looked very strange. I didn’t know they had made their way to the Great Plains states.

  3. Karen says:

    We have them in Eastern Washington where it is open and windy all the time. ( I live in Western Washington which is divided from the East by the Cascade Mountains) I’ve been on the highway next to one of the propellers being transported and it was about the size of two semi trucks long. Amazing. xx

  4. Doe of Mi. says:

    Wow I’ve never even seen them let alone realize they were that big. I’m amazed! Our farm windmill, which I used to love to climb, was 75 ft. tall. I thought that was tall back then. Thanks for the enlightenment.

  5. Peggy says:

    I have a friend that lives in Missouri and they are proposing to put 15 to 20 up on his farm. It’s been a 5 year study so far. Not sure how I feel about that if I lived there. It really makes everything look different. It does make a weird noise. We got up close to one. You can hear the blade cutting through the air. You can farm around it but you still lose a lot of good farm land for road access etc… A lot of debate about who pays the land taxes. The company doesn’t want to pay taxes. And If it’s on your land shouldn’t you get a cut in your electric bill? Hum? Need more research.

  6. Pam K. says:

    I’ve seen big wind farms in two locations. One is traveling on US 81 from Kansas to Nebraska. I’m not sure exactly where it is located in that stretch–have you ever seen it? The other is on I-76 east of Sterling, Colorado. I see it when I travel from Denver to Nebraska. It is a ways north of I-76, and you only see it if you are really looking. I wonder how many miles north of the highway it is, perhaps several, since the wind turbines are so tall. Anyone know anything about either of these?

    • Suzanne says:

      I think I’ve actually seen both of these Pam. Western KS and eastern CO are windy most of the time, so it’s a good place for them.

  7. Pat says:

    We have wind farms in Northern California. One major complaint has been the bird deaths (golden eagles and hawks). The last time I passed through the area many of the wind turbines were inoperative.

  8. Louise S says:

    Pat, we lived in Tracy for 3 yrs. back in the late 80’s and that’s where I first saw them. Very odd sight back then, but they’re cropping up more and more across the country.

  9. Evelyn says:

    West Texas seems to be the king of wind farms; they are all over! One can even see them from the air when flying over. And, so far, I haven’t seen them make one iota of difference in my electric bill! I have heard that most places lack the grids, etc to convert the current from DC to AC for use in homes and businesses.

  10. I bet the turbine companies would love to use your photos for marketing. They make the fields look gorgeous!

  11. Glyndalyn says:

    No wind farms in TN. However, on the way to Isle Royale for a week of backcountry backpacking, we passed several farms. Very interesting. Wonder if they will be the thing of the future? Must be hard on the birds.

  12. Those wind farms are awesome! There’s just something so cool about them….just amazing to look at…and you’re right…gigantic! We don’t have any around here, but I have seen one once while traveling. Very cool!

  13. Tina says:

    I don’t really recall any here in the desert Southwest. We have huge solar arrays that are cool to look at. I have seen the wind turbines in out neighboring state of CA but I was never close enough to tell if the made noise. I agree it is too bad about the birds.

  14. I’ve know of a few college campuses with a wind turbine!! So glad they are helping to lead the way to cleaner energy. I know wind turbines can not completely reduce our dependence on coal, but each one helps a little bit. Have you seen the mountain top removal sites in West Virginia? Truly sickening.

  15. mary m says:

    There are some wind turbine “farms” here in
    Wa. state. Eastern Wa. has lots of wind. Some
    concern has developed over the long, powerful
    blades killing birds like the Bald Eagle. I
    would hate to see or hear a flock of migrating
    geese fly into them. Our community has a “wind
    tech.” program. The starting pay is good…you
    just have to not mind heights and moving to
    lower populated parts of the country to work on
    them. mm, vancouver, wa.

  16. Teresa says:

    We’ve had a huge increase in the wind farms around here. I can see a farm of 52 turbines from my house, and it’s probably twenty miles away.

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