Largest Kansas wind farm to go online within days

[Redfairen]

The largest wind farm to be built in Kansas is set to begin operating within the next few days, but future expansion is up in the air because of the pending expiration of a tax credit companies say is critical to making wind energy competitive.

Flint Ridge 2, jointly owned by BP Wind Energy and Sempra U.S. Gas & Power, will have 294 wind turbines on 66,000 acres in parts of Harper, Barber, Kingman and Sumner counties when it fires up before Tuesday. A BP spokesman declined to be more specific about the start date than “the end of the year.”

The Kansas City Star reports each of the turbines will have the capacity to generate 1.6 megawatts of electricity, or enough to supply 160,000 homes.

Its owners said the $800 million project was built in Kansas partly because of the business environment, but mostly because of the state’s wind resources, ranked second best in the U.S.

http://www.baxterbulletin.com/viewart/20121229/NEWS01/312290027/Largest-Kansas-wind-farm-go-online-within-days

[JDPriestly]

1. Does anyone live near a wind farm?

Is it noisy? Does it create a lot of dust?

What is it like?

I live near people with solar panels. I only notice the panels if I look for them. The panels do not disrupt anything or anyone. They make no noise, create no dust and in my opinion are not ugly.

What about wind farms?

My grandfather had a windmill, and Holland has lovely ones. But I wonder about wind farms.

[LWolf]

2. I didn't live next to them,

but I lived for many years within sight of a wind farm on the hills to the north.

I didn't find anything unsightly about them. They were a hell of a lot more aesthetic than the smog.

I wasn't close enough to worry about sound, though.

[OnlinePoker]

3. Are the numbers wrong in this article?

It says "...each of the turbines will have the capacity to generate 1.6 megawatts of electricity, or enough to supply 160,000 homes." but that's only 10 watts per home (if the farm operated at 100% efficiency). I think they were referring to the power generated by the entire farm. Am I correct in this?

[quadrature]

4. how much is FR2 paid for electricity?

please be as specific as you can be.