I had no idea there was a windmill farm in Corpus until we saw it while driving out of town the other day. I tried to get some photos. They are not very good, but you can get an idea.
I looked up some information about it and found there was and perhaps still is a big debate going on about it. There are to be 240 windmills put into acreage in the area. Here are some of the issues being debated over:
Wind Energy in Kenedy County
What it is: Wind farms generate electricity by using wind to turn giant blades that rotate on turbines, an alternative to power created by utilities using coal, natural gas and other sources. The following projects will place roughly 240 turbines on thousands of acres of Kenedy County property.
- A $400 million Peñascal Wind Farm on property owned by the John G. Kenedy Jr. Charitable Trust
- A $800 million Gulf Wind project by Australia-based Babcock & Brown Ltd. on property owned by the John G. and Marie Stella Kenedy Memorial Foundation.
Environmental Issues
- The Coastal Habitat Alliance contends the projects and infrastructure to support them will destroy critical wildlife habitat.
- Wind farm developers are working with scientists to study the environmental impact of the farms. Data so far contradicts the alliance’s statements, developers say.
- The alliance says the turbines are a threat to birds that migrate through the region.
- Developers cite studies that show a majority of bird migration occurs above the wind turbines which tower more than 3,000 feet into the air, and that the rotors are large enough to allow incoming birds to avoid them.
- The alliance says the roads and impermeable surfaces at the facilities will thwart the flow of groundwater and fresh water inflows that feed the Laguna Madre.
- Developers said they have scientists and data including hydrology analysis and storm water planning to negate that claim. They say the project layouts also identified and avoided wetlands.
Source: Coastal Habitat Alliance attorney Jim Blackburn and Babcock & Brown
-taken from Caller.com/news, March 2008
4 comments:
Interesting! There are bound to be some trade-offs in the development of wind power, but I'm betting most can be solved satisfactorily.
Every day I see two trains with about 110 cars each, loaded with coal, heading toward the coast and it makes me think a lot about wind power!
I would have liked to have gone over closer to where these windmills were. weird thing, none of them were turning...
Are they 3000' or 300' either way can make a base jump from them...
Are they 3000' or 300' either way can make a base jump from them...
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