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Siting wind farms and windmills has become one of the major hurdles related to wind farm development in a number of communities.
Before a small or large wind turbine is installed people want to know a number of details such as why here, what will it look like and what is it going to do to my area.
Below is a siting lesson based on a scenario in Massachusetts. If you do not live near the Northeast and would like to collect similar data close to home check the links further below. The lesson plan will still apply you might have to change a few details and prepare your own maps.
Helpful Links/Materials for this Lesson
Map Resources
BP Wind Developer - Dead link!!!!!! Can't find replacement
This is a link to BP Wind Developer Software for Kids. It is a neat game which simplifies wind siting quite a bit, but can give students a quick idea of what is going on. This requires you to have Macromedia Shockwave.
Offshore Wind Webquest
Neat webquest about siting wind farms offshore. Lots of good questions and links. Plenty for students to think about when siting a wind farm.
Please keep in mind that sites below promoting and questioning wind farm development have an agenda. Read both side of the issue and then try to figure out who you believe. Some of the data on these site can be misleading or incorrect.
Promoting/Researching Wind Farm Development
Questioning Wind Farm Development
Wind Farm Developers
