anyone rent land to wind farms?

bigtomw

hi

was doing some research and looking at what i could do with some "wasteland" i have in the middle of the farm, its a hill but very flat on top and very exposed, and i think it would be a great place for a commercial wind turbine,
does anyone on here rent land to wind companys, what do they pay in rent?
what are your experiences with them? do they normally approach the landowner or can the land owner approach them?

thanks

_Brian

bigtomw wrote: »

hi

was doing some research and looking at what i could do with some "wasteland" i have in the middle of the farm, its a hill but very flat on top and very exposed, and i think it would be a great place for a commercial wind turbine,
does anyone on here rent land to wind companys, what do they pay in rent?
what are your experiences with them? do they normally approach the landowner or can the land owner approach them?

thanks

I know someone who approached them..
They had a minimum altitude for our area and then a test mast would need to collect data over a year to ensure there was consistent wind to make it worth while.

bigtomw

_Brian wrote: »

I know someone who approached them..
They had a minimum altitude for our area and then a test mast would need to collect data over a year to ensure there was consistent wind to make it worth while.

thanks brian,

which company did your friend contact

_Brian

bigtomw wrote: »

thanks brian,

which company did your friend contact

No idea, maybe airtricity as they were working locally at the time.

Toplink

bigtomw wrote: »

hi

was doing some research and looking at what i could do with some "wasteland" i have in the middle of the farm, its a hill but very flat on top and very exposed, and i think it would be a great place for a commercial wind turbine,
does anyone on here rent land to wind companys, what do they pay in rent?
what are your experiences with them? do they normally approach the landowner or can the land owner approach them?

thanks

All depends how easy it would be to get the power from the turbine into the grid.

Oldtree

As well as a grid connection, they would be looking to put in a commercial sized turbine(s) (probably needing planning permission) so how far away are your neighbours and would they be happy about it?

Have you considdered forestry on the 'waste ground'.

bigtomw

Oldtree wrote: »

As well as a grid connection, they would be looking to put in a commercial sized turbine(s) (probably needing planning permission) so how far away are your neighbours and would they be happy about it?

Have you considdered forestry on the 'waste ground'.

i cant plant it as it is mostly mountain grass and some heather, and they class it as unenclosed, it woudn't be on top of my neighbours, although some may consider it an eyesore, but obviously that would be brought up if planning permission is applied for

Oldtree

Turbines can be a very contentious issue, maby sound out the neighbours while getting information from a wind company. Even a small turbine can give off a constant whoosh noise when rotating that can be heard at a distance. There is a small 1mw turbine on a farm near here (but not that near) and I have stopped on occasion on the road to see what can be heard and that small turbine can be heard clearly with the right wind direction from over 200m. maby go to a wind farm of a similar sized turbine to one that may be proposed for your site to get a full impression of what is entailed.

Oldtree

Just in case

http://www.agriculture.gov.ie/forestservice/grantandpremiumschemes/

bigtomw

thanks old tree, a lot of stuff i will have to look into

Oldtree

Most councils have a website that you can look at such planning applications and their backing documents. Have a look at your own councils website for a feel of things in your area, what they allow, objections, etc.

bigtomw

i have read that the wind company's put burdens on your entire farm and not just the plot of land where the turbine are going to be located, and could cause problem for future development on the farm, however i also came across a group in templederry tipperary (it wont let me post a link) , a community set up there own wind farm and all profits went back into the community , i think this is a great idea , but not realy sure about thes raising capital part of it

bigtomw

tea.ie/projects/templederry-commmunity-wind-farm-case-study/

Oldtree

If the neighbours are interested then form a co-op and go from there.

epfff

Be careful what you read on Internet about wind farms and wind farm companies
Their seems to be a hardline group that are determined to put down these companies using miss information and roumer

bigtomw

thanks epff

Oldtree

epfff wrote: »

Be careful what you read on Internet about wind farms and wind farm companies
Their seems to be a hardline group that are determined to put down these companies using miss information and roumer

agreed, take nothing at face value and do you own thorough research.

kevthegaff

We have them in 10 years now before theres was major objections to them, 3 750KW ones. Myself and 2 brothers and 3 danish lads put up the monitor to see was it worthwhile. The site is very good but has trouble with the grid at times not being big enough. Anyway i can hear a sound off them on a calm day 500m away but i dont notice it unless i try to listen! My biggest problem was on both sides of the roadway leading upto it there was alot of stones at the surface which i have reclaimed with soil and dung. Other than that its a nice earner for my parents and the neighbours dont seem to mind

bigtomw

kevthegaff wrote: »

We have them in 10 years now before theres was major objections to them, 3 750KW ones. Myself and 2 brothers and 3 danish lads put up the monitor to see was it worthwhile. The site is very good but has trouble with the grid at times not being big enough. Anyway i can hear a sound off them on a calm day 500m away but i dont notice it unless i try to listen! My biggest problem was on both sides of the roadway leading upto it there was alot of stones at the surface which i have reclaimed with soil and dung. Other than that its a nice earner for my parents and the neighbours dont seem to mind

Thanks for the reply kev, I don't mean to pry too much but could you give me an idea what sort of income I should expect

Oldtree

kevthegaff wrote: »

We have them in 10 years now before theres was major objections to them, 3 750KW ones. Myself and 2 brothers and 3 danish lads put up the monitor to see was it worthwhile. The site is very good but has trouble with the grid at times not being big enough. Anyway i can hear a sound off them on a calm day 500m away but i dont notice it unless i try to listen! My biggest problem was on both sides of the roadway leading upto it there was alot of stones at the surface which i have reclaimed with soil and dung. Other than that its a nice earner for my parents and the neighbours dont seem to mind

Did you finance the turbines yourself? How easy/difficult was the planning process? Can I ask how close your neighbours are to the turbines and the turbine height? How far is the grid from the turbines? What was involved in the monitor side of things? Do you have a separate meter for the turbines or can you offset production against use on the farm? What is the expected life span of your turbines? will you be able to make a profit from the initial outlay? Have you had any trouble with them like repairs etc? Any chance of some pictures. Thanks in advance for the essay

rangler1

bigtomw wrote: »

Thanks for the reply kev, I don't mean to pry too much but could you give me an idea what sort of income I should expect

Element Power was offering farmers €18000/yr to put a 3MW turbine on their land

Oldtree

This site may be useful to you bigtomw:

Irish Wind Energy Association

http://www.iwea.com/index.cfm/page/windfarmconstruction?#q55

kevthegaff

Oldtree wrote: »

Did you finance the turbines yourself? How easy/difficult was the planning process? Can I ask how close your neighbours are to the turbines and the turbine height? How far is the grid from the turbines? What was involved in the monitor side of things? Do you have a separate meter for the turbines or can you offset production against use on the farm? What is the expected life span of your turbines? will you be able to make a profit from the initial outlay? Have you had any trouble with them like repairs etc? Any chance of some pictures. Thanks in advance for the essay

We just rent the site to the windfarm company and graze right around them, The planning wasnt as hard back then but there was people going around canvassing against them, also whoever had poles in theyre fields were compensated very well. Neighbours id say 500-700 metres away. Grid is about 4 miles across fields maybe less. monitor there for a year, none of my electricity is linked to the turbine. lifespan- around 17-18 years. Ya they stop quite a bit and vestas have to go up and restart them but thats due to turbulance and the grid.