Thanks to the Gazette for keeping the people informed on what is happening in our community! Ecoenergy's information is suspicious at best, or a lot of pig lipstick looking for a sap market at worst. Please go and google (search) 'wisconsin wind maps',then go to the images section and start clicking on all the maps of Wisconsin. The first map is from the Focus on Energy website. There one can find the AWS True- wind Report, wind resource maps from different meter heights (look for the 60meter wind resource map), and the - Wisconsin Wind Resource Assessment Program - or WRAP, Final Report.The WRAP Report had a wind tower study done from '99-'01. Ecoenergy's numbers sound 'better' than almost anyplace in the state hmmm? There are maps from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory ,NREL, that shows our area (Rock County) as "marginal Class 2 wind" 14.3 -15.7 mph at 50meters (that is at 50 meters, not 80 meters like Slaymaker stretches to). Anyone can extrapolate to whatever height they would like and it will still be "Marginal Class 2" as far as a wind resource goes. The NREL maps show the better wind 'resource' blows extensively to the west(the dakotas), and an area of "Fair" resource could be in the east northeast of the state, but it only ranks as "Fair". The Slaymakers of this world are not fair, or even marginal. They are predatory. When they have enough people on the hook with their bad contracts, they'll start crawling again. Please contact Rep.Brett Davis, Sen. Erpenbach, Rep. Hixson, Sen. Robson, and Governor Doyle, and let them know you want local control over where the corparazzi try to put these worthless harmful machines.

Thanks for sharing that link, littlebadger. Noise in the 60-70dBC range is way, way too loud! I would find that intolerable, especially during early morning hours of the warmer seasons.

In the interest of full disclosure, I have background in wind energy R&D and, if anything, may even be somewhat biased in its favor. However, after watching the two videos, it seems obvious that any such gigantic industrial wind turbine should be located miles away from human habitation. That is to say, assuming they belong anywhere at all.

The people who are now living in the PSC approved wind farms in Fond du Lac county are having a hard time sleeping because of the noise. Here's the latest video shot by someone who lives 1600 feet from one of the turbines near the Town of Byron
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoVKP0G_f...
The most heartbreaking thing about all of this is there are much better renewable energy choices for Rock County. If the big dairy operators in our area would get manure digesters we would solve so many of our community's problems. EcoEnergy has brought nothing but misery to our community. People here no longer trust them. There are a few who will profit from putting 40 story tall turbines on their land, but everyone else will live with noise, shadow flicker and propery values sliced in half. People like Wes Slaymaker and other EcoEnergy employees do not care at all about our community. They see money, they go after money. They get the money and take off. If you'd like to learn more about this issue please visit betterplan.squarespace.com. I'm glad the Janesville Gazette is reporting on this story. Most communities have no idea that wind turbines are about to change their lives until the heavy machinery starts tearing up the road. Thank you Gina Duwe!

MiltonRedman, all the data used for comparison was taken at the same height, 10M. EcoEnergy had an anemometer at that height in Magnolia but did not install one at that height in Union. I wonder why? They also shared their monthly data in Magnolia so it was easy to verify that they were not averaging in any wind speeds below .7 mph. I am really happy to see that you know something about wind speed and altitude. Most people don’t. Wind turbine noise at night is especially bad because of what you just pointed out, 5mph on the ground and 15 mph at 256’ now go up further the tip of the blade is at 400’. There is sufficient wind to turn the turbine and no wind on the ground to mask the noise. Do you know what a temperature inversion is? When that happens the noise is reflected back to the ground. Wind developers depend on the wind noise at ground level to mask the turbine noise. Also a wind turbine at 50 dB is 4 to 6 times louder than the background sound outside a home now. That’s 50 dB right outside your bedroom window or 2’ from your ears if you bed is on an outside wall.

Understood, MiltonRedmen. But, couldn't the barometric isobars be used to prove that an exaggerated average wind speed was not even possible at that location?

With all the economy and stimulus talk spewing from Washington these days, if we installed a few well placed turbines we could probably solve this nation's energy problems with all that hot wind blowing around.

fool - NOAA/NWS data would be irrelevant. All NWS data is recorded at 2 meters AGL. It is likely the wind data for Eco Energy was recorded at a 197 feet. The difference in wind speed and 2 meters and the wind speed at 197 feet can be very substantial (the 2m wind may only be 5 mph, but the wind at 197 feet could be 15-20mph).

People like this Slaymaker are not bothered by telling lies or the trouble they cause around here and don't tell me they care for the earth. They don't care. Those Eco Energy guys and the local people they have on their payroll will say and do anything to one and all for the money and the control of our land. Truth doesn't matter to them and it never will. Any farmer who would sign on with that outfit is crazy. I feel sorry for the fools who have already signed away their land. And I wonder if they know the contract they signed is now owned by a foreign company. Those eco energy guys have already sold your lease. You better pray this wind farm won't go up or your kids and grand kids will remember you as the fool who fell for the slick talk and promises of easy money. Those windmills will be reminding them everyday of what a greedy fool you were.

Watching that video for a few minutes is torture enough. I can't imagine living that way without going postal. Thanks for posting that, Runnoft.

Has anyone used archived NOAA/NWS data as a sanity check on dubious wind data claims? Wouldn't that have at least some evidentiary value if the discrepancy was significant?

Eco REFUSED to share any of the raw data with the local Town Board. But just ask them--they will tell you they have nothing to hide. Except that the last time they 'posted' their version of data, they would NOT refute the claim of a U.W. student and professor that, according to THEIR calculations, suggest that Eco came up with the average wind speeds by NOT INCLUDING DAYS WHERE THE WIND SPEED WAS ZERO! Example: 30 day period to collect data. 10 of those days have ZERO wind speed, and all the rest have 15 mph. If you leave the days of zero wind speed OUT of the calculation for average speed, the 'average' would be 15 mph (barely enough to spin the turbine at all). But, if you use the math that the rest of the world uses to calculate an 'average', it would be 10 mph, well under what is required. All of the surrounding small airports' reported wind speeds were averaged by the student/prof., and the results were stunning: Nowhere NEAR enough wind to operate these things around Union. Eco's answer was (and I kid you not)'well, you know that the F.A.A. [Federal Aviation Administration] instruments are often faulty.'***If citizens in Wisconsin let the legislature give the PSC total control of this, like Eco wants, then there will be no such thing as 'local control' of anything. Instruct your state senators/representatives to vote NO for socialized, government control of your land, especially when local governments rose to the occassion, did their research (which the PSC did NOT do), and came up with their own reasonable regulations for siting.

Here we go with the EcoEnergy wind data again. First we were told the wind is free. Later after exposing the seriously flawed data from the Magnolia met tower we are now told it’s secret. The “free wind data” is reported as one number one time each year. What’s up with that?
Extrapolate: synonyms are assume, envision, guess, theorize. It’s interesting that EcoEnergy can extrapolate to such fine detail as one half mph. After a few months of collection the wind in Union is 15.5 mph, guess (extrapolate) again. Their extrapolating technique in Magnolia proved to be off as much as 10 mph when compared to real wind data collected by Federal agencies.
Wind developers like EcoEnergy need to extrapolate (guess) many things in order to sell turbines. These are a few examples.
How much power a turbine will produce?
How many homes each turbine will serve?
How much foreign oil we will save? (This is a good one because we don’t generate electricity with oil.)
How many birds and bats will be killed?
How many carbon emissions we will save?
How many jobs will be created?
How much wind generated electricity really costs?
How much coal power is used to start, run, and park turbines?
How much property value will be lost as a result of turbines sited too close to homes?
How many residents will suffer adverse health effects from the noise?

The Union Wind Ordinance is not “restrictive” it serves to protect public health and safety. The “bill” (Siting Reform) referred to would remove local control for siting turbines. That means a wind developer like EcoEnergy could do whatever they want wherever they want with no local control. Call, write, or visit your State Representative and Senator and ask that they not support this bill. Trust the local Town officials that you elected and the Plan Commission members appointed by them to protect your health, safety, and welfare. Follow the Town of Union example, they have done a great job.
The Town of Union Wind Ordinance is based on rock solid science, not extrapolations.