Dang, time to move to Rock Port!

I;m with you, Eric!

Or, even better Sophie and Eric, you could ask your local government to get together with Rockport's government to share the info on how they did it, what they learned etc. and then demand they do the same in YOUR town.

That's absolutely amazing that Rock Port has been so successful. I wonder how those Suzlon turbines compare to residential turbines like the Southwest Windpower Skystream Turbine or the Wind Turbine Industries Jacobs Turbine.

Now if the rest of the U.S. cities can just pull their heads out of their er tail pipes and smoke stacks....

To who it may concern,

Don't want to take up much of your time but thought maybe someone could help. To make a long story short, I live in a little town called Holcomb KS. There is a coal fired power plant here that is trying to expand and I feel this is a huge mistake. They have already affected many of the farmers around here by stealing their land and are going to affect many of our precious natural resources. This plant is cooled by our aquafer which is already used too much and is going to release a huge amount of toxins in to the air. Our governor is against this and has already denied bills that have come across her desk, but they are appealing and have only a couple months to convince more people not to let this pass. I just thought maybe someone had some pull in Kansas and could help.
If you would want more information about this subject their wed site is,

http://www.sunflower.net/

Thanks for any help you can give!

I have been hearing/reading that the south shore of Long Island , NY wind energy project may be back on again on a larger scale.

vsk

I have been hearing/reading that the south shore of Long Island , NY wind energy project may be back on again on a larger scale.

vsk

it's quite obvious where all the opposition for the past 30 years has come from. If we take individual homes or towns and provide them with the means to power themselves, then why do they need the coal companies, hydropower companies, etc? What would these corporations do without the government giving them huge handouts? The anti wind farm movement is completely paid for by the coal industry.

We have the chance to be renewable and self-sufficient, yet there is a huge push to not be...hmmm. does this sound like the same thing that happened to universal healthcare? maybe?

Awesome.

But how does it stack up economically? Do the revenues from selling the excess energy cover the costs of operation and maintenance? Is the overall cost to the community lower than if they had stuck with their previous energy provider? Assuming that the general operation is profitable, how long will it take for the costs of construction to be recovered?

None of the stories linked to seem to address these questions, and these are very important questions if we are to expect other cities to follow in Rock Port's example.

It's easier to love wind turbines when they clearly benefit you!

The article was not clear as to whether or not the town owns a share of the wind farm or simply enjoys a larger tax base.

Many Danish wind farms are owned by farm co-operatives that see the wind as just another reliable crop to harvest. It has made the family farm profitable again.

It's easier to love wind turbines when they clearly benefit you!

The article was not clear as to whether or not the town owns a share of the wind farm or simply enjoys a larger tax base.

Many Danish wind farms are owned by farm co-operatives that see the wind as just another reliable crop to harvest. It has made the family farm profitable again.

actually as a matter of fact josh, many stories on many sites site the profits that can be made by wind energy.

most small operations that are smartly placed can recoupe the cost in as little as 6 months and only need a check up like once a year or so. there are thousands of retired farmers across the nation that put up wind farms on their land and lease out the land to large companies and sell the power and are makeing a killing off of the money they sell.(how much of a killing is dependent on their aggrement with their local power power grid. for instance if they sell their energy at a flat rate per kw then they are probably getting ripped of, but they can sell their energy for as much as 4 times more in the day time during peak hours if they have an agreement that takes time of day into account)

bigger operations with taller windmills can take longer to recope the costs but they can last for 30-45+ years. the question shouldnt be about weather wind can make you a profit, its weather solar will make you a profit. as little as 5 years ago solar pannels wherent effecient enough to make a profit, but costs are down and the effeciency since 2005 alone have jumped from 10% effeciency to 18%.

wind has been marketable for years, its people that are getting solar panels that arent really that smart. but things are starting to turn around and solar is doing well for itself, but wind will be the king of true clean power for sometime to come.

this of course is because no one wants a nuclear reactor in the U.S. but the new breeder reactors are clean as they get. and i expect solar power to become more profitable as the price lowers even more because of a bill passed in california makeing it a law to have it an option when you buy a new home starting in 2010... and everyones gunna get one, they would be stupid not to. which makes the solar pannels cheaper for everyone else.

@John Doe

It depends on the location. Around here solar makes more sense. Wind is too inconsistent and sporadic. If we had decent wind, I'd probably have a Z axis wind generator in my back yard. I'd buy solar if I could afford it and the HOA didn't mind. Wind is cheaper... if you have wind.

I'm glad someone is setting an example for the rest of the WORLD.

AWESOME!

Seems to me it is more evidence of necessity being the mother of invention. Those living in small communities have fewer options to deal with rising utility costs. I expect to see more small communities seek out these opportunities in an effort to keep their communities alive. Small-Town, America will lead the nation toward the common use of cleaner alternative energy sources... Bless'em !!!

I have lived in Rock Port for most of my life. My parents currently live there and I reside in a neighboring community. The turbines are absolutely awesome. Rock Port, population 1200, owns its own municipal power/telephone co. that pays a coop back to its customers as well. If you are interested in starting a similar project Eric Chamberlain would be the guy to contact. Eric, a local long time resident of Rock Port, did most of the research and legwork to make this a reality and would have lots of useful information.

I am wondering who paid to install the wind turbines?

Do residents still pay utility bills? Who to? How much? Any change in cost of utilities? Thanks.

Oh come on, a town of 1300 is a "win"? I went to school with that many people, if anything it's indicative of how narrow, limited, and how much of a failure the application is. First we all have to move into cities because some class warfare activists don't want us to access the copious amounts of oil at our fingertips, now we all have to move to the country with our own loud, ugly, strobing windmill to power each house overhead. Make up your minds.

Don't shut down your local energy supplier just yet.
Even in Missouri the wind dies down sometimes. No wind-no power. In those situations you still have to have a conventional power plant ready to take over the load.
The headline on this has been a bit misleading when the reality is that while these turbines produce more than the town needs over time, they don't provide it 24/7.
From a more complete story:
The Missouri Joint Municipal Electric Utility Commission purchases the extra electricity and redistributes it to 31 other cities in the Missouri Public Energy Pool.
According to executive director John Grotzinger, the Commission also provides backup power to Rock Port whenever the wind turbines are not producing energy.

The reason Rock Port could do this is because there was another, much larger, wind energy project going in in the area. If the cranes, personnel and expertise weren't already in the area, there is no way it would have happened.