Wind farm study asks the people
Retired engineer Ken Mosley has decided to conduct a survey on the effects of wind farms.
The views of people living near the Te Apiti wind farm are being sought for a survey on how noise and vibration generated by the wind farm affects them.
The survey is being conducted by retired Silverstream engineer Ken Mosley.
“I am an electrical engineer. I haven’t got blinkers on and having looked into the situation, wind turbines have a lot of faults. And I’m seeing what can be done about them. But trying to calculate what happens noise and vibration wise is very difficult.”
“The energy companies are pushing this view so, quite cheekily, I thought I’d act.”
Dr Mosley worked in engineering research for 36 years, both in the United Kingdom with the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR) in New Zealand.
The results of the survey will be published, he said.
The survey questions were published in the Manawatu Standard on Friday, September 22 and people have until October 22 to reply.
Dr Mosley had planned on having a quiet retirement and having nothing to do with anything technical, but his interest in wind turbines led him to be called as an independent expert witness for the Makara Guardians in its appeal against Meridian Energy’s proposed wind farm at Makara, he said.
The rally against wind turbines has started to be felt in Europe and England mostly about the noise and vibration, he said.
“I get engineering journals from England once a month and they’re talking about having turbines at sea. They don’t have the visual effect or the noise and vibration effects.”
There is also debate about the effects of low frequency sound in technical journals, Dr Mosley said.
“About how it affects people.
“They can’t hear it but can feel it.” Dr Mosley said there is a David and Goliath situation David being the people and Goliath being the energy companies.
By Helen Harvey
Tags: Wind power, Wind energy
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