Oregon To Be Home of 909-MW Wind Farm

[jpak]

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/story?id=53233

The Oregon Energy Facility Siting Council has approved a site certificate for the 909-megawatt (MW) Shepherds Flat Wind Farm. Located in Gilliam and Morrow counties, Shepherds Flat will double Oregon's current wind operating capacity of about 889 MW.

"This is a tremendous day for renewable energy in Oregon," said Michael Grainey, director of the Oregon Department of Energy. "With the Council's unanimous approval we have taken a large step toward meeting Governor Kulongoski's climate change goals by developing clean, renewable energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions."

The project is being developed by Caithness Shepherds Flat LLC of Sacramento, California, which has proposed a plan that includes installing 303 wind turbines with a total peak capacity of 909 MW. The power output of the facility would enter the Federal Columbia River Transmission System through Bonneville Power Administration's Slatt Substation.

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[navarth]

1. Good on 'em.

Now what about the problems with migratory birds, noise, etc.?

I'm not trying to be a wet blanket, just trying to get educated.

[Taverner]

2. I'll take the dead birds any day over fossil fuel

[oldhippie]

3. Birds are a renewable resource .......

We can always grow more!

[navarth]

6. that's fucked up.

period. I was hoping for a serious discussion. whattaya say, how about it?

[kestrel91316]

4. They aren't noisy, and out in the middle of nowhere in OR only the cattle

would notice, anyway. The jumbo turbines these days spin so slowly, the birds and bats can easily evade the blades, IIRC.

[BadgerKid]

5. IIRC, it depends on blade speed

An article I read a while ago suggested that that was the problem with early wind generators.

[DCKit]

7. The bigger they are, the more slowly they spin.

The early models were akin to blenders.

[progressoid]

8. What Kestrel said.

I've stood directly under them and you only hear a quiet, gentle woosh as the blades pass by. The traffic from a road a half a mile away was louder.