To the editor:
As a year round resident of Swan’s Island, I read with some interest the letter from Ms. Vicki Wysocki of Hamburg, NY, warning Swan’s Islanders of the perils of windpower [WWF March 07]. It is true that the Swan’s Island Electric Cooperative is systematically examining the question of whether wind power makes sense for our island — in view of the current high cost of electricity to our residents and the presence of a robust supply of wind energy where we live….

However, the more of her letter I read, the more I began to realize that many of Ms. Wysocki’s stories of dire disasters were “old news” — drawn from the era of the 1980s and early 1990s when the fledgling wind industry was in its infancy, and experiencing the very real growing pains of a new energy technology…

First, let me assure Ms. Wysocki, that the people of Swan’s Island have already been visited by the “wind turbine salesmen” and “the developers,” and after politely listening to all they had to say, they were sent packing and have not been invited back. If anything is clear to me, it is that Island residents – while being very interested in windpower – want no part of a scheme which covers their island with wind turbines and sells the power back to the mainland for any developer’s profit. If windpower comes to Swan’s Island, it will be Island-owned and controlled, where the residents have a say in the size of the turbines, the locations where they are erected, and the number which will best suit the needs of Islanders…

Affordable electric power — just like affordable housing — is an issue that goes to the heart of efforts to sustain a viable year-round population on most of Maine’s offshore islands. Swan’s Island will continue to examine, in a practical and deliberate way, whether or not it makes sense to harness our rich wind resources in order to reduce, over time, the cost of our electric power. Given the economic pressures our residents are facing, to do less would be irresponsible.

In the meantime, we are grateful to Ms. Wysocki for weighing in with her concerns about our future, and welcome all viewpoints from all points of the compass as we continue to study and educate ourselves on windpower…

Ed Schwabe
Secretary, Board of Trustees
Swan’s Island Electric Cooperative

To the editor:
Here is a point-by-point discussion of the points raised by Vicki Wysocki of Hamburg, NY:

“Wind turbine salesman” (as Ms Wysocki terms developers) generally lease land at rates of $1,000-3,000 per turbine per year depending on the expected output. The leases are usually long term and contain decommissioning clauses covering the removal of the turbines at the end of their useful life. The footprint of the turbine is about 1/4 acre per turbine covering the access road and the foundation. Along Buffalo Ridge in southern Minnesota it is common for each of several farms to have multiple leases which provide them with a dependable income…the lease money is often more than a farmer could expect a crop to yield in a good year and is guaranteed.

“The lifespan of most wind turbines is 10 years.” This is simply not true. The earliest turbines installed in California have been operating for over 30 years and are now beginning to show signs of their age… The newer and larger machines are proving to have similar life spans. Time will tell.

“The company who puts them up never takes them down.” Again not true. Never is way too long to even consider rationally so let’s back that down to “hardly ever.” It is still not true. There have been some issues with turbines in the CA wind farms left standing that should have been removed a long time ago. Most are the properties of companies that have gone bankrupt and their removal was not dealt with during the bankruptcy settlement…

North Java, NY (actually Wethersfield, NY), where Ms Wysocki says “a broken blade was found half a mile away…” The size of the tower cited (125ft) suggests a small turbine and during the early days blade throws did happen and some were spectacular events, so this tale may have a basis in fact. The current turbines of all sizes are much better designed and built…

Turbines “as high as 495 feet tall.” That is 150 meters; yes, there are machines that tall. Tall is good in wind turbines, stronger smoother winds exist at higher elevations… Big, in and of itself, is neither good or bad; it simply is…

Noise: Noise is a very subjective topic. What to me is soothing, to another is jarring. Almost everything makes noise. The topic at hand is objectionable noise. Turbines make some distinctive noises…

The “Wave of tension power” is a new one on me…

“Wind turbines lower property values.” Another statement that is simply not true. Numerous studies have determined that there is no relationship between wind turbines and property values…

Governments might make wind turbines a public facility, therefore we should protect ourselves by enacting zoning laws, Ms Wysocki advises. This sounds like a poorly articulated expression of distrust of and frustration with “government” as “them” – feared, hated and misunderstood, but upon which we all have become dependent…

David M. Wright, President
SweetBriar Wind Energy Consulting
Springfield, MA

To the editor:
I have no interest in or knowledge of this Tug Hill NY installation, but the claims of turbine blades breaking and traveling a half-mile, and the even more astounding claims of “waves of power” knocking down houses greatly intrigued me. A 30-minute Google search did not reveal any references to such incidents. In fact, most of the references that I found, even a story by NPR, were quite upbeat and complimentary.

A story by a local college student on the environmental aspects effectively debunks any claims of vibration or `waves of power’.

I realize that letters to the editor are a forum for divergent viewpoints, but I would expect that such wild claims would be reviewed somewhat before publication.

Martin Feeney
Scarborough

To the editor:
I was surprised to see Stafford, New York, mentioned in the interesting letter, “The Risks of Wind Power,” as the town is only about forty miles west of here (Rochester).

That same evening, during intermission at a play, a woman asked me about my barrette. As we talked a bit, she said she was from Stafford. I admitted that I had never heard of it before reading a letter-to-the-editor… She had driven past wind turbines in Wheatville, a town in the same county, without hearing them. She added, “I’ve heard that some people who were initially against this new project have changed their minds.”

Later on I discovered the impressive website of Save Western NY, which mentions many wind turbine locations, including Mars Hill, Maine, up north of my home town in Aroostook.

Elsewhere, of course, people are enthralled with the beauty of the “majestic sculptures,” whirling around on high as they help offset the effects of global warming.

Byrna Porter Weir
Rochester, New York