How much square footage do those 283 wind turbines take up, as compared to the square footage a single multi-well oil pad takes up? How about comparative bird-kills, too?
Well, I have been trying to chase that down. I get spacings, of 7 (or more) blade diameters for full efficiency but in that 2100 +/- ft spacing between columns, other activities can still occur (mainly agricultural, here, but not excluding oil drilling or other land uses).
I would believe the facility, not counting power lines, would require a blade diameter (300 ft.) or the blade diameter plus ground clearance height in any direction at a minimum as a safety consideration. That would require roughly two acres per wind mill site, not counting access roads and other considerations/easements.
Quick math: 283*2=566 acres. But some of that may still be available for agricultural use while the wind turbine is in operation.
The industry is in its infancy here, from a regulatory stance,
https://psc.nd.gov/docs/consinfo/siting/clean%20copy%20blank%20draft%20Model%20zoning%20ordinances.pdf for instance, but sound and distance from occupied dwellings is also a consideration for safety and audible noise.
IMHO, the "noise" that may also be causing stealth health effects is that so low or high in frequency as to not be detected by the human ear, and it would be interesting to study the effects of such infrasound/ultrasound noise and vibration levels in areas where there are existing wind farms and the effects on the health (physical and mental, if any) and demeanor of those at different distances and exposed to different levels in order to set standards likely to preserve the health and well being of those in proximity to the generation towers. RFI/EMF standards should be considered as well, and the possibility of physical and electromagnetic interference with cellular and satellite signals as well.
Other studies could include the effects of infrasound/ultrasound on the behaviour and yield of livestock and wild animals, and as another course of investigation, on crop yields/quality.
Presently, nearly a third of the electricity generated in ND is generated using wind power, the bulk of the remainder using coal (we have one of the world's largest lignite reserves), and Natural Gas electrical generation comes in at only about 8%, mostly being utilized as a heating fuel.
