Wind turbines can be a way for a business to reduce its operating expenses by minimizing how much electricity it purchases from local utility companies. Sometimes, wind turbines can be a source of revenue if a business installs enough turbines to generate more power than it consumes and then sells that extra electricity to the local electrical company.
Adding wind turbines to your existing facility or investing in rural real estate to generate electricity there could be a smart business move. However, they could end up costing far more than they produce if you wind up in court fighting about them.
Could neighboring property owners sue you because of your wind turbines?
Other energy facilities may have a claim
People take issue with wind energy facilities for numerous reasons. They may claim that wind turbines endanger birds in their community. They may claim that the devices themselves are a visual blight or that the noises they produce are irritating.
Although angry property owners could attempt to litigate against a business generating wind power on its premises, the Texas civil courts would likely be quite skeptical about the financial value of such lawsuits. However, if the neighboring property also generates wind power, they may have grounds for a claim.
Research has shown that the installation of an upwind wind turbine facility can affect the production of downwind facilities negatively. If your move to install wind turbines has decreased the return on investment on neighbor receives, they may have grounds to initiate a civil claim against your business. Even then, however, there’s no guarantee of success for their claim.
Understanding when angry neighbors could cause problems for your business can help you make choices about energy production investments for your company.