Frequently Asked Questions

When the wind blows past a wind turbine, its blades capture the wind’s energy and rotate, turning the wind’s kinetic energy into mechanical energy. Inside the wind turbine, this rotation turns an internal shaft connected to a gearbox, which then spins a generator that produces electricity. The wind turbine will rotate to face the strongest wind and will angle its blades to best capture the wind energy.¹

A typical modern turbine will start to generate electricity when wind speeds reach six to nine miles per hour (mph), known as the cut-in speed. Turbines will shut down if the wind is blowing too hard (roughly 55mph) to prevent equipment damage. Over the course of a year, modern turbines can generate usable amounts of electricity over 90% of the time. For example, if the wind at a turbine reaches the cut-in speed of six to nine mph, the turbine will start generating electricity. As wind speeds increase, so does electricity production.²

We will collect and analyze several years of wind data in the project area to confirm that the wind resource is excellent for wind project operations. Three meteorological towers measuring the wind resource have been installed since 2022 and we are planning to install a fourth in 2024.

Wind projects provide numerous benefits to the communities in which they are sited. Wind projects represent significant local investments and drive meaningful increases in the local taxable property base. Wind projects also provide guaranteed annual property tax payments to local taxing jurisdictions, which allow county and local officials to make long-term financial plans and increase spending on public services and other critically important infrastructure.

Wind projects pay millions of dollars per year directly to landowners through lease and easement agreements, resulting in a diversified revenue stream that protects against fluctuating commodity prices and preserves family properties for future generations. In addition, these projects directly create hundreds of full-time equivalent jobs during the construction and installation phases, support indirect and induced jobs during development and construction, and create long-term jobs to operate and maintain the projects day-to-day.

In the last decade, wind has delivered $140 billion of investment across the country, and in 2022 alone, wind projects delivered $2 billion in state and local tax payments and land-lease payments.³ In Illinois, the total wind energy investment to date is over $13.7 billion.⁴ More than $57 million state and local tax dollars are generated by these projects each year and more than $47 million annually goes to Illinois residents directly in the form of land lease payments.

The cost of wind has declined by 47% over the last decade, with improved technology and US-based manufacturing making it competitive with other energy sources and the cheapest source of new electricity in many parts of the country.

According to Lazard’s Levelized Cost of Energy Analysis – Version 17.0 (2024), even without tax credits, new wind resources have a levelized cost of energy in the range of 2.7 cents/kWh – 7.3 cents/kWh.⁵ Wind projects generate electricity at a lower cost per megawatt hour than would other possible fossil fuel and renewable energy options.⁶ These results have been bolstered by the International Energy Agency’s World Energy Outlook 2023 which found, “Solar PV and wind are now the cheapest new sources of electricity in most markets.”⁷

Adding to their growing appeal, wind projects are uniquely able to sell their electricity output at a fixed price over the life of the project because the “fuel”, the wind, is free and not subject to increases in commodity fuel prices.⁸

Wind energy is the largest source of renewable electricity generation in the US, providing over 10% of the country’s electricity and growing.⁹ While wind is variable as a power resource, that does not mean that wind projects are backed up with a coal or gas plant should the wind stop blowing. The variability of wind can be predictably forecast and used to complement other generation sources. No electricity source runs 100 percent of the time, including coal, gas, and nuclear plants. Grid operators have decades of experience managing changes in supply and demand, and sudden, unexpected outages at large conventional power plants are more costly and difficult to manage than the gradual, predictable changes in wind output.¹⁰

Yes. A typical wind energy project using 2 MW wind turbines repays its carbon footprint in six months or less, providing decades of zero emissions energy that displaces the fossil fuel energy that was used to manufacture the turbines and construct the wind project.¹¹ As wind turbine technology continues to improve with longer lifetimes and larger nameplate capacities, the length of the energy payback period will continue to decrease. The wind turbines we anticipate using for the project are 4.5 MW, more than double the capacity of the turbines for which the cited lifecycle assessment was performed.

The Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory reviewed all published research and concluded that wind energy’s carbon footprint is lower than nuclear and most other renewable energy resources.¹²

Millions of people around the world live and work close to operating wind turbines without any health or safety effects.¹³

According to a 2018 study by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory,¹⁴ there are more than 1.3 million homes located within five miles of a utility-scale wind turbine. The study also found that 92 percent of survey respondents living within five miles of a wind turbine reported positive or neutral experiences and that 90 percent of survey respondents would prefer to live near a wind farm over any type of centralized power plant, whether coal, natural gas or nuclear.

• The Ohio Department of Public Health released a review and summary of available scientific literature regarding wind turbines and public health between 2004 and 2018. It concluded that “there is no significant body of peer-reviewed, scientific evidence that clearly demonstrates a direct link between adverse physical health effects and exposure to noise, visual phenomena, or electric and magnetic fields (EMF) associated with wind turbine projects.”¹⁶
• The Massachusetts Institute of Technology published a study in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine titled, “Wind Turbines and Health: A Critical Review of the Scientific Literature.”A panel of experts with professional experience and training in occupational and environmental medicine, acoustics, epidemiology, otolaryngology, psychology, and public health was commissioned to “assess the peer-reviewed literature regarding potential health effects among people living in the vicinity of wind turbines.” Upon review, they concluded, “No clear or consistent association is seen between noise from wind turbines and any reported disease or other indicator of harm to human health.” ¹⁷
• Health Canada, in partnership with Statistics Canada, conducted a major study of over one thousand homes and reached the same conclusion, stating, “No evidence was found to support a link between exposure to wind turbine noise and any of the self-reported illnesses.”¹⁸

Shadow flicker is predictable, harmless, and passes quickly. It is based on the sun’s angle, turbine location, and the distance to an observer. Shadow flicker occurs when rotating wind turbine blades pass in front of the sun and cast a shadow. Shadow flicker can be mitigated and minimized with proper planning and siting and cumulatively only occurs for a few hours a year. During cloudy days, shadow flicker does not occur. Further, there are industry standards that provide guidance on the recommended 12-month accrued shadow flicker duration to minimize any potential impacts. We design our turbine layouts in accordance with that guidance.

Today’s wind turbines take advantage of over 30 years of design, engineering, manufacturing, and operating experience to minimize sound from operations. Further, our projects will be designed to comply with state and local laws to limit sound impacts. Typically, two people can carry on a conversation at normal voice levels even while standing directly below a turbine. Millions of people around the world live and work near wind farms without issue.

No. Cattle and other livestock are not affected by wind turbines, and ranchers have reported that cattle benefit from the shade turbines offer.²¹

Electric and magnetic fields (EMF) are present everywhere in our environment, including TV antennae, radio signals, Wi-Fi, and common household appliances.²² EMF emissions from wind turbines are lower than those produced by common household electrical devices and are below any existing regulatory guidelines with respect to health.²³

Several studies have assessed the correlation between proximity to high voltage direct current transmission lines and impacts on agricultural operations. According to an epidemiologic study of 500 herds of Holstein dairy cattle, herd health, measured using multiple indicators, did not differ between periods before and after a nearby +/- 400 kV direct current line was energized.²⁴ Another study conducted by Oregon State University determined that no differences were found between cattle and crops raised under 500 kV direct current lines and those raised away from the lines.²⁵ These studied voltages are significantly greater than what will be used in the Four Creeks Wind Project.

No, wind turbines do not require water to produce electricity or cool power generating equipment, so the project will not have a negative impact on local water supplies. Most of the water needed for the project will be related to dust suppression control during construction, and it is anticipated that water will be purchased from a nearby water control district for that purpose. Furthermore, turbine foundations are only approximately 10-to-12 feet deep and do not impact the local water tables.

Wind energy projects, like all forms of development, can result in interactions with the natural environment. Wildlife and natural resources are an important consideration in our selection of project sites.

Furthermore, the wind energy industry is closely regulated by state and federal agencies to ensure any effects on wildlife are minimized and mitigated. Our dedicated environmental permitting team takes all necessary steps during the planning and siting stages to identify sensitive species such as bats and birds, high-risk locations, and mitigation efforts. We have been working collaboratively with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and state agencies such as the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) to determine the best siting for wind turbines to minimize any impact on wildlife.

Climate change remains the largest threat to wildlife. Wind power is far less harmful to wildlife than the traditional energy sources it displaces and is one of the most effective, fastest, cheapest solutions to reduce carbon pollution and the climate change it contributes to.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Lab noted that wind turbines cause less than 0.01 percent of all human-related bird deaths.²⁶

No. Studies show no evidence of long-term impacts on property values from wind projects in rural areas.

• A 2010 analysis of 3,851 residential property transactions around a 240-turbine wind project in Illinois was performed over an eight-year period. The study found that while the market saw a dip in property values prior to project operations, property values rebounded and rose higher than they had been prior to the project’s regulatory approval.²⁷
• A 2022 peer-reviewed study found that beginning with the construction phase, wind energy projects led to economically meaningful increases in median home values, household income, and both county-level income and GDP per capita.²⁸

• A 2019 analysis of property value research by researchers at the University of California, Davis found that wind turbines do not negatively impact property values at any point during their installation, including post-announcement, during construction, and post-construction.
• A 2019 study of attitudes towards wind turbine neighbors conducted by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory found that 92 percent of people living within five miles of a wind turbine reported positive or neutral experiences.²⁹
• A 2013 study by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory found no significant impact on the property values of the 50,000 homes researchers analyzed near 67 different wind facilities.³⁰

The wind industry is a driver of meaningful economic development, particularly in rural areas. Wind energy projects across the U.S. deliver an estimated $2 billion in state and local tax payments and land-lease payments each year. The industry employs nearly 126,000 Americans across all 50 states, including 24,000 wind manufacturing jobs at over 450 facilities.³¹

We are committed to using an Aircraft Detection Lighting System (ADLS) for the Four Creeks Wind project. The Federal Aviation Administration launched the standards for ADLS technology in late 2015, which is designed to reduce the impact of nighttime lights through the integration of a radar-based system. This technology, which turns the turbine lights on only when low-flying aircraft are detected nearby, significantly reduces emitted light by only activating when necessary. Our commitment to using an ADLS system is just one example of who we are deploying the ever-evolving technological advancements in the wind industry.

As with any structure, wind turbines can accumulate ice under certain atmospheric conditions. This possibility and the risk of ice throw is taken into account during both project planning and operation. The turbines used for our projects will be sited according to applicable regulations, which requires setback distances from roads and residences that adequately protect the public from the risk of ice throw.

In addition, modern wind turbines are designed with ice detection systems to minimize the potential for ice throw. If ice accumulates on the blades, the turbine will simply shut off and will remain at a standstill until the ice melts.

Wind turbines are designed and tested to safely operate, including through extreme weather events. A study was done on wind turbine collapses, which evaluated the number of global turbine failures between 2000 and 2016. The study found that in that 16-year timeframe, there were 48 incidents of wind turbines collapsing around the world, one half of which were caused by typhoons (e.g., extreme wind scenarios).³² The Four Creeks Wind Project is sited in an area with consistent and balanced wind speeds.

We procure wind turbines from Tier 1 manufacturers that adhere to the highest quality standards, regularly deploy Operations and Maintenance staff to ensure site safety and peak performance, and monitor the project 24/7 to track performance and proactively detect any issues.

Wind turbines do not cause lightning strikes. Lightning is a result of electrical energy in the atmosphere, a phenomenon that occurs everywhere. Every turbine will be installed with appropriate grounding to ensure that in the event of a lightning strike, the surge of electricity will be safely discharged into the ground. From a fire safety perspective, it is safer for lightning to strike a grounded structure, such as a turbine and its vegetation-free turbine pad, than it is to strike vegetation in the area.

We procure wind turbines from Tier 1 manufacturers that adhere to the highest quality standards, regularly deploy Operations and Maintenance staff to ensure site safety and peak performance and monitor the project 24/7 to track performance and proactively detect any issues.

Only approximately 2% of a wind project area is occupied by project infrastructure, leaving the remaining 98% available for current land use. Landowners and tenants can continue to farm or ranch their properties right up to the base of the turbine while diversifying their revenue stream to better weather economic downturns and preserve family property for future generations.

The project will be designed and constructed to have an expected minimum useful life of 30 years and an operational life of up to 40 years. Our wind energy lease and easement agreements with landowners are for up to a 40-year operations period.

Our lease agreement states that the company is responsible for the decommissioning and removal of project infrastructure at the end of each project’s life. Standard decommissioning practices include dismantling and repurposing, salvaging/recycling/disposing of wind turbine components, and restoration.

Additionally, we will include a decommissioning and restoration plan with our permit application, which outlines the various ways in which we will safely and responsibly remove installed equipment and restore the property within the project area. In addition, we are committed to putting financial security in place with Peoria County to ensure host communities and landowners bear no financial responsibility for decommissioning or restoration at the end of the project’s life. We are committed to high decommissioning standards and proper financial security through the Agricultural Impact Mitigation Agreement will we sign with the Illinois Department of Agriculture.³³

Yes. Today 90% of a wind turbine is recyclable, and the industry has made great strides towards recycling options for the fiberglass blades as well, which will continue to increase the percentage of recyclable material.³⁴

An important benefit of wind power is that it provides a long-term hedge against increasing energy prices because it does not consume any fuel and allows power providers to purchase energy at stable, long-term rates. This may help to decrease future increases in electricity prices.