Rotors cancel each other out!

I have to admit to amused admiration at a tactic used by residents of Benzie County in Michigan who are opposed to the proliferation of electricity-generating wind turbines in their area.  The Traverse City Record-Eagle reports:

Benzie's Joyfield Township — once considered part of a four-township site for an industrial wind farm — could soon have up to eight licensed, stand-alone public heliports. It would give the rural farming township of 800 souls south of Benzonia more heliports than the rest of Michigan combined.

Joyfield's sudden emergence as a would-be heliport epicenter raised the level of skepticism among some township residents.

"It seems pretty fishy to me," said Susan Zenker, who lives near one of the proposed heliports. "I know all of the people who have applied, and as far as I know not one of them has a helicopter."

Zenker said she's not sure if she should worry that helicopters could soon spook her horses, or if she should be angry about an "unethical" sham designed to prevent her from leasing land for a wind turbine.

State officials acknowledge the heliports could prevent construction of wind turbines or any structure taller than 200 feet within almost a one-mile radius of the landing pads.

. . .

The success of Joyfield's anti-wind faction could have serious consequences for wind energy in Michigan, said Stanley "Skip" Pruss, a former director of the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor, and Economic development who now runs a renewable energy consulting firm.

"It's a fascinating tactic," Pruss said. "It's certainly another impediment that would have to be overcome. Wind energy applications could be thwarted around the state."

There's more at the link.

I'm not a proponent of wind energy for electricity generation, as it's seldom (if ever) cost-effective without massive government subsidies.  Even without that, however, I find it deliciously ironic that the rotating blades of wind turbines could be stopped by the rotating blades of helicopter rotors - even if the latter are only theoretical at present!  Hopefully they'll keep the wind turbines that way too.





Peter