‘Windfall’ targets turbines

Wind turbines explode bat lungs, keep residents awake at night and catch on fire.

These are some of the negative effects of implementing wind farms, according to a film featured this weekend at the four-day Talking Pictures Festival. The regional premiere of “Windfall” sold out to about 90 people Friday night at the Hotel Orrington, said Kathy Berger, co-director of the festival. The documentary, which highlights the negative consequences of wind farms, provoked mixed responses from Evanston residents, some of whom are now concerned about the city’s recent proposal for an offshore wind farm.

“Windfall” explored how the prospect of wind farms divided the rural town of Meredith, N.Y. Some residents of Meredith wanted to lease their land to energy companies hoping to construct 400-foot wind turbines in order to make money and reduce the country’s dependence on oil. Other residents were concerned with how far the wind turbines would be placed from their homes because the noise from the turbines would keep them awake at night and cause discomfort.

In one scene, researchers collected bat carcasses surrounding wind turbines to determine how the machines were affecting bat populations. As the film explained, wind turbines lower the air pressure around them, causing bats’ lungs to explode. The film also showed how emergency services are usually powerless to put out a fire on a turbine if it is too tall.

The Meredith planning board eventually concluded the community wasn’t suited for the 40 industrial wind turbines proposed by developers.

After the first showing in Evanston on Friday, the film sparked a heated, two-hour discussion among filmmakers, Evanston residents and residents of DeKalb County, who “packed the room” to warn of the consequences of living near wind farms.

Filmmakers Laura Israel and Autumn Tarleton said Evanston should conduct independent research concerning the effects wind turbines would have on the area.

“A town like Evanston does have the resources to do the studies and ask the questions,” Israel said to the audience after a second film screening Saturday that attracted about 50 more viewers.

Tarleton, the film’s producer, said issues associated with wind farms are mostly site-specific, so the negative effects of the wind turbines shown in the film may not apply to Evanston’s potential offshore facility. However, she cautioned lake life may never be the same in the area.

“Just get second opinions,” Tarleton told a small group after the second screening. “Honestly, it’s worth it.”

Nate Kipnis, co-chair of the Renewable Energy Task Force, a committee of Citizens for a Greener Evanston, said the documentary prompted residents to question the city’s proposed offshore wind facility. He said it was better for residents to voice their concerns now before plans for an offshore wind facility go forward.

Citizens for a Greener Evanston, which proposed offshore wind turbines, asserted an offshore facility would avoid the concerns that hampered the Meredith case regarding the wind turbines’ proximity to homes.

Evanston resident Steve Cejtin said placing a wind farm off Evanston’s shore would be inappropriate.

He said people “think wind towers are sexy,” but residents should instead be concerned with reducing their own energy consumption and implementing green energy on a small scale. For example, he uses solar panels to partially power his home, he said.

Evanston resident Jane Sisco said she’d like to know more about wind turbine issues because of concerns raised by the film. She said the film gave her a better idea of the negative consequences of wind farms.

“I feel totally different than when I came in,” Sisco said.

Berger said the film festival didn’t target the wind farm issue intentionally.

“We were blown away that people came from so far to share their stories,” she said. “At times it was heated, but it was very important.”