The quest to inherit the wind
Who has seen the wind? Summerside city council, at least, is trying to see common ground between its green energy plan involving wind turbines and the concerns of those turbines’ neighbours.
It’s quite fitting the council meeting where the turbine project was meant to be rubber-stamped was held the same day the British National Archives posted files on UFO sightings – you’d almost have an easier time proving the existence of aliens than you would negative health effects caused by wind turbines.
In both cases, there is compelling anecdotal evidence, unsatisfactory scientific research … and lots of wild, unsubstantiated claims.
Summerside city council was supposed to approve zoning that would allow the structures in St. Eleanors during Monday night’s meeting. Instead, after hearing from residents near the site, council has decided more research is warranted.
One sticking point was the distance between turbines and dwellings, called the setback. Provincial regulations call for a 360-metre setback and the proposed site (the old landfill) meets those requirements. The residents who showed up at council Monday, however, noted many European countries call for a 1.5- to 2-km setback. They also provided an article on a family in Elmira whose home is about a kilometre away from the provincial wind farm in Kings County. Despite that setback, the family members interviewed say they ended up leaving their home because the noise from the turning blades was affecting their sleep, health and home electronics.
These claims are hard to prove – and they are also hard to debunk – without a lot more scientific study.
The citizens’ group notes that Summerside council had environmental impact studies giving the St. Eleanors project a green light, but nothing conclusive on human health.
Summerside is not alone in this.
Wind energy is not a new technology but the rate of its expansion across the globe is greatly outpacing the amount of credible data available on its effects.
Council is well-advised to look into some of that which is available before rezoning the land in St. Eleanors. A setback greater than the provincial requirements also doesn’t seem like a lot to ask.
We can’t see the wind but we need to do more to look into its potential benefits and hazards.
22 October 2008
Tags: Wind power, Wind energy
Some possibly related stories:
- Wind turbine opponents see inconsistency in Summerside position
- City mayor now backing request for wind turbine research
- City gets low-cost loan for wind farm
- Wind power health effects queried by municipal group
- Medical Society seeks delay in wind farm for health investigation
- City council split on wind farm delay
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