Is Kent County seriously pursuing a wind turbine farm, as recently headlined in the Kent County News?
As described, Apex Clean Energy, Inc. is studying a farm as large as 35 to 45 wind generators near Kennedyville. The turbines could be as high as 500 feet to the blade tips from the ground, the height of a typical fifty-story building. The large hubs that hold the generators will be visible further than 20 miles away, and will loom over the landscape like downtown Baltimore.
What might the economic payoff be to Kent County? The turbine mast will require sizable pads and high voltage electrical lines and turbine controls. The initial construction will very likely be contracted to specialized construction firms and electrical contractors outside of the county. The local suppliers of ready mix cement, electrical supplies, rebar, and the like will enjoy a mini boon as construction ramps up. Also the lodging folks will have many guests, as construction workers will need temporary quarters. Even local construction hires will be short-term contract jobs that terminate once construction is over. No long-term payoff here.
When the farm becomes operational there will be a need for what the industry calls “Wind Energy Technicians” to service these very expensive machines. Their duties include repairs to blades, turbine tune up, and electrical equipment maintenance. Often this work is assigned to experienced technical personnel and contractors servicing a region of multiple wind farms. Local hiring for these specialized skills is unlikely and probably would not result in a substantial increase in jobs in Kent County.
So we have short-term construction dollars due mostly to the temporary influx of outside construction workers and local hires, minor supplies, and cement. Most equipment will be manufactured elsewhere and will be competitively bid to suppliers to this industry.
And I don’t think this increase in generation capacity will spell lower electrical rates for the residents of Kent County. But there will be long-term consequences, which include a loss of our rural vistas and an ugly industrial blight adjacent to our National Scenic Byway. What price is Kent County willing to pay for such limited gain?
William Graham, P.E.
(410) 648-5476
[email protected]
Galena
Doug O'Dell says
Editor,
Having some experience with this sort of project, in Maine and the mountains of central PA, and the unintended (or ignored) consequences, we should ponder the logic of building a wind farm in the heart of the Atlantic Flyway. The effect on migrating waterfowl could be catastrophic.
Carol Droge says
Editor,
And we can’t get a permit for a cell tower north of Kennedyville? Something wrong with this picture.
R. Walls says
Editor,
As Doug said, the effect these things will have on migratory birds, particularly this area’s abundant waterfowl, will be catastrophic to say the least…
Keith Thompson / WCTR says
Editor,
Chalk this up to the law of unintended consequences. There’s a huge effort to develop green energy alternatives in Kent County and when a greener energy alternative (wind turbines) is proposed, the inevitable faults are found with it. Every “clean” energy solution has some sort of tradeoff attached to it
Joe Lill says
Editor,
The placement of wind turbines in the middle of the Atlantic Flyway lacks common sense in the balance of creating clean energy while avoiding as many bird kills as possible. However, the following link goes a long way in comparing bird deaths by wind turbines to bird deaths caused by things we have now taken for granted, such as domestic and feral cats, power lines, windows, pesticides, autos, and lighted communication towers.
The deaths of birds by wind turbines came to national attention mainly by poorly designed and located wind turbines at the Altamont Wind Pass in California. Modern wind turbines, that are non lattice constructed, larger, and slower moving, minimize bird kills if located in the proper places, and the Atlantic Flyway is not one of them.
https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/wind-turbine-kill-birds.htm