Resource Library Category: U.K. (57 items)
Documents presented here are not the product of nor are they necessarily endorsed by National Wind Watch. This resource library is provided to assist anyone wishing to research the issue of industrial wind power and the impacts of its development. The information should be evaluated by each reader to come to their own conclusions about the many areas of debate.
Open Letter to Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH)
Author: Bellamy, David; and Duchamp, Mark
It is disturbing to wildlife conservationists such as ourselves, and we know it is equally disturbing to our numerous Scottish friends, that you should assist in the destruction of Scotland’s remarkable and precious wilderness. Your raison d’être is to preserve this natural heritage ; yet you are time and again endorsing the installation of wind farms in unspoilt landscapes of great beauty, or in natural habitats that are essential to the conservation of endangered birds.
Bird reserves are not even spared . . .
Open Letter to the RSPB
Author: Bellamy, David; and Duchamp, Mark
The RSPB [Royal Society for the Protection of Birds] is advocating in favour of more wind farms across the UK. Yet in the United States the State of Birds report, released by U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar last month, warns of the impact these installations are having on bird populations, which are already in sharp decline.
John Fitzpatrick, the director of the Cornell University Lab of Ornithology, helped draft the report along with nonprofit advocacy groups. Yahoo News reports: . . .
Evaluation of Noise Impact Assessment
Author: Stigwood, Mike
Evaluation of Noise Impact Assessment (Section 11 page 60) submitted as part of the ADAS (UK) Ltd Environmental Appraisal for the Proposed wind cluster Sedborough Farm Parkham (Planning application number: 1/0242/2008/FUL)
by Mike Stigwood, FRSH, MIOA of MAS Environmental
10th May 2008
2.1 The ADAS UK report for this site contains inadequate information to reach an informed decision because a full Environmental Statement based on a properly conducted EIA has not been included with in the planning application.
2.2 I understand research undertaken in . . .
Appeal Denial: Ecotricity against Dover District Council
Author: Lavender, D
Inquiry held on 7-9 January, 13-16 January, 19-23 January and 9 and 10 February 2009
Site visits made on 11 and 12 February 2009
by Mr D Lavender MRTPI, an Inspector appointed by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
Decision date: 16 March 2009
Appeal Ref: APP/X2220/A/08/2071880
Land west of Enifer Downs Farm and east of Archers Court Road and Little
Pineham Farm, Langdon.
• The appeal is made under section 78 of the Town and Country Planning Act . . .
Europe, France, Germany, Health, Human rights, New Zealand, Noise, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Property values, Regulations, Safety, Scotland, Sweden, U.K. •
Changes in Wind Turbine Setbacks
Author: Palmer, William
Note that Setbacks can have both physical safety rationale — for reasons of potential injury — and noise rationale — for reasons of annoyance and health effects
United Kingdom
Derek Taylor, 1991, “How to Plan the Nuisance Out of Wind Energy”, suggested setback from wind turbines with a 30 metre rotor to roadways and lot lines, of 50 metres adequate to a lightly traveled road, 100 metres to a heavily traveled road, and 120 to 170 metres to a home [4-5.7 times . . .
Impacts of Wind Farms on Upland Habitats: The Environmental Cost of Scotland’s Renewable Revolution
Author: John Muir Trust
Executive Summary:
The John Muir Trust is one of the United Kingdom’s leading guardians of wild land and wildlife. As a prominent membership organization we carry out our charitable role through the ownership of land, the promotion of education and volunteer conservation activities. In order to protect wild land, the Trust campaigns against threats to wild land and for wild places to be valued by society.
The Trust recognizes the unprecedented threat that we all face from the impact of climate change . . .
Sustainable Energy — without the hot air
Author: MacKay, David
I’m concerned about cutting UK emissions of twaddle – twaddle about sustainable energy. Everyone says getting off fossil fuels is important, and we’re all encouraged to “make a difference,” but many of the things that allegedly make a difference don’t add up.
Twaddle emissions are high at the moment because people get emotional (for example about wind farms or nuclear power) and no-one talks about numbers. Or if they do mention numbers, they select them to sound big, to make an . . .
Are wind farms the answer to our energy problems?
Author: Fells, Ian
Governments are under pressure to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.
So they’ve come up with an idea to generate lots of clean electricity using wind farms.
Over the next 10 years we’re going to lose a third of our conventional power stations as they reach the end of their working lives.
Experts say that we’re not building enough new power stations to replace them.
Instead, wind turbines are sprouting up all over the place including Romney Marsh and off the coast of Whitstable . . .
Noise Case — Den Brook Valley
Author: Den Brook Judicial Review Group
The government guidance for measurement of wind farm noise is a document known as ‘ETSU 97′.
This guidance was produced over 10 years ago and since it was drafted, wind turbine size has dramatically increased and problems — which the ETSU methodology does not address — have come to light at several established wind farms.
Although it is still official government guidance, most noise experts now accept that ETSU 97 does not adequately deal with certain potential noise impacts of wind farms.
One . . .
Wind Turbine Noise Complaint Data
Author: Renewable Energy Foundation
Introduction
In 2007 the then Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) – later renamed the Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) – commissioned the University of Salford and the Hayes McKenzie Partnership (HMP) to investigate the issue of Aerodynamic Modulation (AM) noise from wind turbines. (AM noise is a blade swish noise at blade passing frequency, and is a characteristic of wind turbines.)
This was in response to an earlier report for the DTI by the HMP, “The Measurement of . . .
