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Re:Warren Buffett is spending billions to make Iowa 'the Sau... by CivBase on Tuesday December 31, 2019 @11:24AM (#21922141)
As an Iowan, I'm surprised we're not already the "wind capitol of the world". You can't throw a rock without hitting a turbine, especially along I-80 and I-35.
Re:Warren Buffett is spending billions to make Iowa 'the Sau... by Zyst on Tuesday December 31, 2019 @11:29AM (#21922197)
That is cool! Out of curiosity, how intrusive is living around wine turbines? Is it a problem at all? Or are they mostly unnoticeable?
Re:Warren Buffett is spending billions to make Iowa 'the Sau... by CivBase on Tuesday December 31, 2019 @11:37AM (#21922281)
I live in the Des Moines metro and most of the turbines are in rural areas, so I can't really speak to living around them.

As for the few turbines in the urban areas, they're completely unnoticable. They're silent and just blend into the background.

The only thing I could maybe see as annoying is the red flashing lights they use to help aircraft see them at night. The flashing is at least synchronized so there isn't a constant twinkling effect.

Re:Warren Buffett is spending billions to make Iowa 'the Sau... by froindt on Tuesday December 31, 2019 @12:00PM (#21922490)
>The only thing I could maybe see as annoying is the red flashing lights they use to help aircraft see them at night.

I'm also from Iowa. It's a really eerie effect driving through a wind farm in the pitch dark! I noticed it most recently on 80 near Newton when they put in a wind farm in the last couple years.

Re:Warren Buffett is spending billions to make Iowa 'the Sau... by war1025 on Tuesday December 31, 2019 @11:50AM (#21922400)
I pass six on my way to work (10 miles) and mostly just think they are helpful for knowing the wind conditions.
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Re:Warren Buffett is spending billions to make Iowa 'the Sau... by ceejayoz on Tuesday December 31, 2019 @11:37AM (#21922279)
Won't be piles unless you're collecting them from all across the country.

https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2016/may...

> Smallwood says about 100 eagles die each year due to impacts with the spinning blades on windmills.

> "Mr. Trump could not have arrived at his number (hundreds and hundreds) from any reliable source, unless he is referring to all eagles killed by industrial-scale wind turbines since they were installed in the early 1980s," Smallwood said. "Cumulatively over time, there have been hundreds of eagles killed, probably about 2,000."

The article goes on to say that larger, more modern turbines are more carefully sited to avoid eagle deaths, and that it's working.

Re:Warren Buffett is spending billions to make Iowa 'the Sau... by tptacek on Tuesday December 31, 2019 @11:53AM (#21922425)
Most bald eagles in Iowa apparently nest near the Mississippi, not out in the middle of the state.
Re:Warren Buffett is spending billions to make Iowa 'the Sau... by CivBase on Tuesday December 31, 2019 @11:41AM (#21922320)
Personally, I've noticed a dramatic increase in the Iowan bald eagle population over the last decade. I haven't looked up the actual numbers, though.
Re:Warren Buffett is spending billions to make Iowa 'the Sau... by tptacek on Tuesday December 31, 2019 @11:51AM (#21922410)
They are sharply on the rise.
Re:Warren Buffett is spending billions to make Iowa 'the Sau... by bb88 on Wednesday January 01, 2020 @03:57AM (#21927298)
https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/local/montezuma...

“This is a big success story,” Thompson said. “Our goal was to have up to 10 nesting pairs in Iowa by the year 2000. Now we have at least 300 – maybe even 400.”

Re:Warren Buffett is spending billions to make Iowa 'the Sau... by psweber on Tuesday December 31, 2019 @11:54AM (#21922432)
Pretty good article about the bird problem: https://www.audubon.org/news/will-wind-turbines-ever-be-safe...
Re:Warren Buffett is spending billions to make Iowa 'the Sau... by masklinn on Tuesday December 31, 2019 @12:00PM (#21922486)
The bird's problem is not wind turbines, it's cats, building windows, power lines, vehicles and hunting.