The proposed Snowy Knoll Wind Project in the towns of Paris and Litchfield has raised a number of problematic issues, said presenters at a meeting last week.
Litchfield Town Councilman Jonathan Knauth joined Dennis Higgins and Keith Schue at Sauquoit Valley High School last Thursday to discuss the pros and cons of Industrial Winds project.
Enel Energy is looking to put a 250 MW wind project across the two towns to generate power for Downstate New York.
Knauth said the Litchfield and Paris boards have not seen any plans, since the project is large enough to bypass local input.
Instead, Enel will work with New York state on the project.
Knauth said Enel will deal directly with private landowners to find the acreage necessary. “Litchfield has not been consulted, or Paris,’’ he said.
Knauth used a PowerPoint slide show to outline how climate change has made an impact on energy levels and use.
So too, he said, do wind turbines make changes in the climate.
Knauth said turbines change temperates and rainfall, caused by the turbulence in the wake of the blades.
In addition, bat mortality rates increase, which then causes more damage to crops because bats eat bugs, he said.
New York state falls into the Fair to Poor category as a wind resource, he said.
Noise levels of turbines increase at night, Knauth said.
Turbines also present a fire risk, Knauth said.
While turbines can harness power sometimes, ...
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