Tired of looking at windmills? Just wait...

[jerp]

Supposedly the goal is to get 20% of our electrical power from wind by 2018. On average 45 acres are needed for each windmill so producing that much energy (just for the state of Texas) will require a little over 19,000 windmills covering a total of 1,283,355 acres. If you don't like looking at them you better move to a less windy part of Texas.

[Shane]

They look fine in cotton fields. I hate to see them in good hunting country though.

[Randy]

My folks are covered with them west of Abilene. I hate looking at them but dad dont mind the checks that keep rolling in.

[Fishndude]

Why 45 acres?

[texag93]

We don't have the big ones out here yet, but I can see them in the near future.

[Bill]

They put them much closer together here.

The Altamont Pass east of here.

It always seems that 1/2 are not spinning on any day, I assume they're broken.

[nsbowhunter]

Interesting Bill. Our look nothing like those you posted. Jerk the guys around here say it takes 30 acres.

[Shane]

Bill, those are smaller than the thousands and thousands of them that are popping up daily in West Texas.

Well, it seems like thousands and thousands of new ones every day.

[Landrover]

They put them much closer together here.

The Altamont Pass east of here.

It always seems that 1/2 are not spinning on any day, I assume they're broken.

Those are the ones I have seen out in California also!

Bill, those are smaller than the thousands and thousands of them that are popping up daily in West Texas.

Dang! those must be HUGE....i see the blades leaving Houston all the time on the highway's.
I was told the power was NOT able to be stored! Other words if the wind stops blowing your power is OFF!!! Unless they have backup from a another source!

[leoparddog]

My old rancher has 62 of the big ones on his places and I hunted a place that had them put in and I liked it alot better than pump jacks plus the company put nice gravel roads in and put a road in where I could not hunt unless you walked through the canyon. And the deer were back in no time and if your nice when they come out to reseed the disturbed ares have them put wheat in they did for me

[Clint]

There popping up quickly on the Kennedy Ranch taking my sunset view away.

[Bill]

I found this on a web site when I searched for wind power in Texas, they sure are bigger.

[flufster]

ruined the drive from san angelo to abilene....i always say if i ever go off the deep end and blow up something it will be windmills.....I HATE THEM

[Jaspro]

There popping up quickly on the Kennedy Ranch taking my sunset view away.

[ATTACH]54447[/ATTACH]

I wondered where all these riding around SA on 1604 were going. I guess thats it.

[jerp]

Why 45 acres?

From an engineering standpoint I have no idea - I just read that's the spacing the outfit that is developing the windfarm west and north of Abilene uses (FPL Group.) I guess no matter how much landowner resistance there is, all they got to do is get one landowner to sign and the rest fall like dominos to not miss out. Kind of like a friend of mine that turned down an offer to build a cell tower on his weekend place cause he didn't want to look at it. He went out a few weeks later to find a cell tower had sprouted just across his fence - still has to look at it, but no royalties. (probably should have thought that decision through a little better)