LAWFUEL – The Law Newswire – Windpower cut Michael Mercurio’s power bill by a third. But it landed him a lawsuit too.
Mercurio was paying $340 per month for gas and electricity, but managed to cut that down to only $114 per year – less than a thirtieth of the previous cost. He did it by installing a 35 foot tall wind turbine at his home, which unfortunately hasn’t pleased his neighbors.
Mercurio owns a company that installs wind turbines, and is obviously a passionate advocate of wind power, “It just makes sense. This is a clean, renewable source of energy.” Unfortunately though, his neighbors have filed a lawsuit against him because the turbine is 8 feet taller than is allowed. He was granted permission to erect it, but it seems that the authorities made a mistake when they agreed to the plan. His neighbors dislike the look of the turbine, as well as the noise it makes.
The article contains all the standard complaints – people claim that they are all for wind power, just not near their homes. One even claims that the island where they live isn’t big enough for the turbine, which seems ludicrous because it’s nothing to do with the island, but the size of peoples gardens and their proximity to other houses. “People always say, ‘Not in my backyard, not in my backyard. I want to flip it around. It should start in my backyard,” said Mercurio.
