In a study published December 2, researchers at the DOE's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory declared that wind farms have no measurable effect on nearby property values.  This was determined after review of 7500 sales of properties in ten communities near two dozen wind farms in a total of nine states.

While I haven't seen any local windmills (although there is a suspicious-looking feature on the Shirey Eco-House being built in Bellevue...) there are many near Central Washington University in Ellensburg.  While visiting England recently I also saw dozens of windmills on the land and crossing the English Channel between London and Amsterdam.  Made me wonder if they are also harnessing wave energy.

On a final note, I just finished the book "The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind" by William Kamkwamba.  It is an amazing story of a poor teen in Malawi who builds his own windmill, to provide electricity to his family.  Recommended for anyone on your Christmas list.

December 6, 2009