Report on ballon photo simulation

Dr. Dipippo reports,

UPDATE: On Friday morning, July 10, 2009, a team of four engineers from Atlantic Design Engineers successfully conducted the balloon test as part of their photosimulation task for the feasibility study for two 1.65 MW wind turbines proposed for the town’s DPW site at 687 Chase Road. The south turbine was marked by an orange balloon that rose to the maximum height of one turbine mounted on a 100-meter tower (hub height plus length of one blade) or about 460 feet. The north turbine was marked by one large white balloon and a smaller white balloon, some 65 feet lower. The large balloon was analogous to the orange one, and the smaller one marked the total height of a turbine mounted on an 80-meter tower or about 397 feet. Owing to wind at the balloon height (even though there was little wind at ground level), the actual vertical positions of the balloons will not be exactly correct as viewed,...

...but ADE will adjust for this effect using precise GPS coordinates and observed deflections of the balloons made on the ground at the moment digital photos were taken from 13 vantage points around the site.
The preliminary conclusion that I drew as I accompanied the ADE team was that the turbines will obviously be visible from a number of vantage points, but that owing to the significant tree growth in the neighborhoods to the east and west of the site, there are large areas where the sight-lines to the turbines – as tall as they are – are obscured. The area to the immediate south of the site would have a clear view of the south turbine, but the north turbine would not be visible. Since the proposed site lies at the south end of the Paskamansett valley, one of the best vantage points to view both turbines will be from the area of the Hawthorn Country Club that sits on a hill overlooking the valley some 2 miles north-northeast of the turbine sites.
I was also impressed with the high competence of the team that worked efficiently and used the most modern positioning electronics, communication devices, and photo equipment to complete the task within 5 hours. ADE’s feasibility report will include photos of the proposed turbine site area taken from 13 different vantage points in its present state and simulations of how those views will change if the turbines were to be installed. Two sets will be created, one set for turbines mounted on 80-meter towers and one set for 100-meter towers.