Wind Power News: November 2011
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They are the products of the organizations or individuals noted and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch.
Miljøstyrelsen anklages for at fifle med vindmøllestøj
Ifølge eksperter manipulerer Miljøstyrelsen med støjberegninger til skade for vindmøllenaboer. (Experts accuse environmental board of manipulating wind turbine noise rules to harm neighbors) [Click here for English translation by EPAW] De nye støjregler for vindmøller, som miljøminister Ida Auken (SF) netop har sendt i høring, er udarbejdet på et mangelfuldt grundlag: Beregningerne, som er grundlag for reglerne, giver alt for lave tal for møllernes lavfrekvente støj – og tillader dermed, at møller står tættere på beboelse, end hvad der er . . .
Turbine noise in Rome
Wind turbine experts gathered in Rome recently to discuss noise. Low frequency noise and amplitude modulation provided plenty to talk about. Noise from wind turbines is still not solved, as evidenced by seemingly endless conferences called to talk about the problem. Not that there is a noise problem, many wind farm operators would have us believe! That there are so many speakers and delegates at wind farm conferences would sort of suggests there are problems, with 87 papers covering both . . .
Dates set for wind lawsuit
BAD AXE — Dates have been set for a case evaluation and jury trial for the lawsuit filed by 20 Huron County residents claiming the Ubly area Michigan Wind I development has harmed their quality of life and lowered property values. Huron County Circuit Court officials said a case evaluation will be conducted July 21, 2011 and a jury trial has been scheduled for Oct. 4, 2011. The dates were set after a pretrial hearing that was held Thursday. The . . .
Wind farm effects were underestimated
A Manawatu wind farm is facing court action amid lingering doubt it is complying with noise limits. After receiving hundreds of complaints about noise from Te Rere Hau wind farm on the Tararua Range for more than a year, Palmerston North City Council has applied to the Environment Court for stricter rules and better sound monitoring. On average, the council receives one complaint a day. Neighbours of the wind farm near Palmerston North have consistently complained about “whining mechanical noise”, . . .
Oregon Public Health office decides it’s time to study health effects of wind turbines
Oregon has boosted wind energy projects with a vengeance in recent years, adopting a renewable power standard and tax breaks that have helped spread wind farms across the state’s northern reaches and into eastern Oregon. Now comes the Oregon Public Health office, which announced Thursday that it’s embarking on a public health assessment of wind farms, kicking off with three “listening sessions” next month in LaGrande, Pendleton and Arlington to hear residents’ health concerns tied to the spinning blades. The . . .
The shore is alive with the sound of turbines
To the Editor: Re “For Those Living Nearby, That Miserable Hum of Clean Energy” (front page, Oct. 6): My husband and I spent a week on the island of Vinalhaven in Maine in August, within sight and sound of the three giant wind turbines. Not only are they visually disturbing in the otherwise pristine landscape, but the ebb and flow of sound is also more reminiscent of a jet plane than the woods of Maine. After we spent two days . . .
Noise controversy over Vinalhaven wind turbines amps up
Vinalhaven sits 15 miles off the coast and just over an hour’s ferry ride from Rockland, but it has an old-fashioned sense of community rare on the mainland these days. Every driver waves as they pass and it’s common for an islander to leave the keys in the truck in case anyone needs to borrow it. It was with that sense of community that the islanders welcomed the three wind turbines to Vinalhaven last year. Not only did the turbines . . .
News articles about wind turbine noise and health
Milner, Catherine (January 25, 2004). Telegraph. “Wind farms ‘make people sick who live up to a mile away’”. Keller, James (May 13, 2006). Hamilton Spectator. “Family says turbine vibrations made them ill enough to move”. Kriz, Kathy (October 12, 2006). WHAM-TV. “Could Wind Turbines Be A Health Hazard?”. Chronicle Herald (August 27, 2007). “Quietly sounding alarm; Forced from home after noise from wind farm turbines made family sick, d’Entremont telling others his story”. St. James, Janet (July 29, 2008). WFAA-TV. . . .
