7 Essential Pros and Cons of the Uplands Wind Farm
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Wisconsin's Lafayette county, Grant county, and Iowa county will soon be generating enough electricity from the wind to power 500,000 homes. This is all from the Uplands Wind project. That’s a lot of power. But what are the drawbacks to this big wind farm? And what are the benefits?
Wind farms do kill birds…but not as many as cats
Are wind turbines bad for wildlife? How many birds do they kill?
Turns out, the number one killer of birds in the U.S. is… CATS. And by a long shot. Cats kill about 365 million birds every year. Next most lethal killer of birds is buildings, at about 100 million per year. After that, pesticides kill about 67 Million birds per year. Wind turbines (sometimes also known as windmills) kill birds too, and plenty of them– about 1 million per year in 2020.
In a nutshell, cats, cars, buildings, and pesticides kill about 500 times more birds than wind turbines. Killing birds is definitely a disadvantage of wind farms, but not as bad as lots of other things we consider normal.
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Uplands Wind will create jobs
450 to 600 people will be employed to build Uplands Wind, and once it’s operational, 12-16 full time local jobs will be required to keep it running, according to the Uplands Wind developer, Pattern Energy.
Construction will likely be a pain in the neck for local communities to deal with, but with that comes a bunch of jobs.
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Your property value won’t be affected
Wind farms are popping up across the country and you might be wondering, “How do they affect property values in my community?” We looked into it, and the answer isn’t so cut and dry.
The latest research published late last year looked at sales of more than half a million homes near wind turbines.
This is how the results broke down: sale prices of homes located more than 2 miles away were unaffected; in rural communities (counties with less than 250K residents) there was no impact on property values; finally, after construction of the projects the approximate 2% decrease in property values within 1 mile of the wind turbines were temporary, returning to par value with comparable properties further away within about nine years.
But there’s something the study didn’t take into account…
This research only looked at home sales near wind turbines. It didn’t account for the new jobs, tax benefits, or the economic boost wind technology brings to communities. And these are all factors that bring value and dollars into the community.
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Local communities will benefit financially
This wind farm will provide about $2.4 million every year to surrounding communities, according to the Uplands Wind developer, Pattern Energy. This is a big advantage of this wind farm, as that money can go towards schools, parks, roads, and much more.
Some people think wind turbines are ugly
Putting up turbines that are hundreds of feet tall will look different than how these areas currently look. There’s no doubt about that. And some folks who live very close by are bothered by the shadows from the turbine blades. Over time though, folks tend to get used to how they look, and many people even like them.
Wind turbines don’t cause cancer, but they do create some noise
Sure, they make noise, and yes, if you're right next to one, they sound about as loud as a lawnmower. But cancer? That's a big no.
The American Cancer Society said there's zero proof that wind turbines cause cancer. There have been at least 25 studies digging into whether they cause headaches or mess with your sleep more seriously, but so far, nothing solid's come up.
Dozens of studies have analyzed if living near wind farms is bad for you. Some say maybe a little, mainly if they're keeping you up at night. But serious health stuff? Clear no from the science perspective. A Statistics Canada study couldn't find any health scares from living near turbines.
When it comes to noise from the turbines, once you’re 100 yards away, it becomes about as loud as a medium-sized air conditioner. But here’s the thing: wind turbines are never placed that close to a house– the minimum distance is about 300 yards, and at that point, it’s about as loud as your fridge. And of course, most of our homes will be nowhere near a turbine.
Bottom line? Wind energy is clean, and it doesn't pose the health threats some have suggested.
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Generating power from the wind is better for our health than coal
Communities around coal mines and coal fired power plants have significantly more heart disease and lung cancer in many studies. Communities around wind turbines don’t. Wind energy is clean, and it doesn't pose the health threats that other power sources do.
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Conclusion: Uplands Wind farm will be a win for local communities
Like so much in life, Uplands Wind has pluses and minuses. We think the positives outweigh the negatives, but we hope you’ll come to your own conclusion.
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