Better Plan, Wisconsin

     PLAY IT AGAIN WISCONSIN!

   At the last Magnolia Township Windfarm Ordinance meeting, an attendee pointed out the voting booths along the back wall of the town hall meeting room were made in Milwaukee and the folding chairs we sat on were made in Green Bay.
  The BPRC Research Nerd started wondering about other things that were once made in Wisconsin and found this little juke box that was manufactured in Appleton.

Table-top Ristaucrat S-45 Selective
Jukebox, produced by Ristaucrat, Inc.,
Appleton, Wisconsin, 1951.

CLICK HERE to read about it at the great Wisconsin State Historical Society Website

MADE IN WISCONSIN sounds good to us! Play that one again, please!

What's involved in the construction of a wind farm? They say a picture is worth a thousand words. The farmer's rows may go one way, and the turbine access roads may go another. One of the many problems to think about is the kind of erosion this may cause to cropland.

How much say does a landowner have in where the turbines will be sited, where the access roads will go, and where the lines will be buried? How much is it worth a year to have to farm land that's been torn up in a way you never anticipated? 

 Click here to watch a slide show of wind turbines being built in a rural area much like ours in upstate New York.
 

What's going on at 6th and Badger in Evansville?

Is this the Evansville High School Construction Home? Are those solar panels? Is local business Albright Electric helping to install them? Will only six solar panels really supply one third of the electric usage of this home? ALL SIGNS POINT TO YES!

Says the Evansville Observer on January 6: "Tomorrow morning, 8AM sharp, the first solar electric application will begin construction at the Evansville High School construction home at 6th and Badger.

Albright Electric will be doing the installation with helpers, and the students will be observing throughout the day. While this is an educational process for the students....it is also an educational opportunity for all citizens, and the Evansville Observer will be on hand with audio and video to document the process"

The BRPC takes its hat off to this project!  Read about it here.

This is the kind of renewable energy plan that makes sense for Rock County! It doesn't tear up our farm lands or tear up relationships between neighbors. It involves local business and it doesn't involve the inefficient and wasteful transmission of electricity over long distances. Solar technologies are improving by the day. It won't be long before this will be an affordable answer for many of us.

WELL DONE EVANSVILLE AND EVANSVILLE HIGH SCHOOL! 

We thank the Evansville Observer for this post . Please visit them by clicking here.

When something goes wrong with a 40 story turbine near your house......

Who do you call?

How quick do they come?

How long do you have to wait? 

Here's what residents are finding out in Pennsylvania. Click here to read the original source of this article.

 Despite efforts to repair wind turbines in Juniata Township, Blair County, they still are generating unbearable noise to some residents.

Tempers flared at a Juniata Township supervisors meeting Monday night as residents voiced their frustrations.

Supervisors agreed to contract Paul Heishman, a professional engineer, to conduct an independent noise study by Jan. 30, when all repairs are expected to be complete.

Babcock and Brown, owners and operators of the turbines in the township and neighboring municipalities, have repaired half of the turbines and will repair the rest by Jan. 30.

‘‘There was some tape that was put on the trailing edge of the turbine blades. That tape was peeling off and causing a noise,” said Matt Dallas, public relations officer for Babcock and Brown. “Ironically, I think the tape is put on to make them quieter. They either used the wrong kind of glue or not enough was used, which is causing the noise.”

Gamesa built the turbines two years ago; in June, Babcock and Brown bought the wind farm that has four turbines in Juniata and several others in Greenfield and Portage townships.

The problem has not been fixed, said Jill and Todd Stull, who live near the turbines.

‘‘You know when you’re standing outside and you hear a plane coming about 30,000 feet overhead, then it goes off in the distance? It sounds like those planes are 5,000 feet above your house and circling and never land,” Jill Stull said.

‘‘It sounds like a jet. I know it’s going to make some noise, but a lot of times, it sounds like a jet,” resident Myrle Baum said.

According to a study conducted in December by Epsilon Associates, a company contracted by Babcock and Brown, the noise level of the repaired turbines was below the township ordinance noise level of 45 decibels.

However, Jill Stull said she borrowed a noise meter from Penn State University, which reads above 45 decibels on windy or cloudy days.

‘‘You got us a bad study. The information is garbled. It’s dishonest. We might as well put it in here,” resident Brian Baum said, pointing to the bathroom.

Once repairs on all the turbines are complete, Dallas said the noise problem should be fixed.

‘‘We really want to fix this and be a good neighbor. We’re in this for the long haul,” he said.

The Stulls said they could move, but they aren’t going to.

‘‘We’re not going anywhere. I just want them to be quiet. I’m not going to jump on the ‘I hate windmills’ bandwagon because I don’t,” Jill Stull said. ‘‘I’m just tired of nobody listening. My point is what is your peace of mind worth? I can’t play outside with my kids back at the pond in the woods because it gives me a headache.”

Sixteen more wind turbines are being built in Juniata Township as part of phase two of the Allegheny Ridge Wind Farm.

Dallas said the company has 20 other wind farms across the country and has not had a noise issue elsewhere.

By Kristy MacKaben, For the Mirror

Altoona Mirror