Alternative Energy..

I doubt any of you outside of Utah have heard about this, but I am a pround citizen of a city who has made a huge step in the direction to help with the energy crisis around here. That's right, in October of last year, Spanish Fork City welcomed 9 new wind turbines for alternative wind energy. The specs? Well..

Suzlon S-88
Over 290 feet tall
Three 145 foot fiberglass blades
115,000 lbs of steel and fiberglass
At peak functioning, they generate enough energy to power approximately 1,200 homes.

Why are there windmills in the middle of Utah, you say? Well, Spanish Fork is known statewide for it's winds, thanks to our beautiful canyon. And that is precisely where the turbines are located. This provides nearly 14 hours of energy producing power, mostly during the morning and evening hours.

Nine turbines is nowhere near enough to power Utah, but that is not their purpose just yet. Whatever they can generate right now, makes it possible for the city to not use the expensive natural gas alternative.

How much do they cost? Shipping, equipment, and maintenance of each is around $3 Million.. I'm not sure on the specifics, but the energy generated by these more than compensates for the one-time cost.

So, what's not to love? Apparently, the city had quite the uproar by locals complaining of noise, dizzy spells, and "not being able to take a walk in my own neighborhood" .. REALLY? I didn't believe them at first, so Cody and I drove up to take a look. Noise? We had to be well within Trespassing bounds to hear anything. Dizzy spells? Maybe, if you're looking straight up at them. Again, they'd have to be right beneath the turbines for this complaint to make any sense. And taking a walk in your own neighborhood? Thanks to the fact that the land housing the new turbines used to be a mining operation, their neighborhood would have to be within a few blocks for them to be able to even see them enough for it to be an issue.

Forget the fact that they are complaining that they would have never moved here had they known about the turbines being put in. So, we're supposed to stop our plans because you didn't read into the city you were buying a home in? This has been in the works for years and we were finally able to get the funding.

My point is, I am very excited about these things. I'm hoping that more states (or even cities) will follow suit because there's no end to the possibilities once we can unite in using more of our unlimited resources. I'M A TURBINE-HUGGER! Proof? Here ya go, that's me, hugging one of the wind turbines. Look how small I am! I am a small person, but that's ridiculous!