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When wind farms turn into a nuisance
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With reference to Keith Nolan’s letter (May 10) regarding wind farms, I wholeheartedly agree with him.
I am an expatriate Irishman living in New Zealand and down here we have been frantically developing wind farms along a mountain range running north from Wellington.
While the first wind farm was a novelty and something for the tourist board to get vaguely excited about, continuing development has meant an unsightly line of turbines, some 110 metres tall, marching off across what was once a pristine ridgeline.
A recent application for consent to construct a windfarm near the city of Palmerston North was opposed by the Dept of Conservation, but to no avail.
The main reason behind such development is money, not electricity.
The turbines can only produce power under certain weather conditions and are noisy, inefficient and ugly. However, the power companies are granted carbon credits by the government here, which can then be sold on at a premium to other countries. The local authorities get generous donations of money and amenities from the companies and everyone is happy. Except those who have to live near the blasted things, many of whom complain about the noise being similar to an approaching train that never actually arrives.
The power companies here have raped the ranges, farming not wind but carbon credits. Don’t fall into the same trap in Ireland. DONNACHA KAVANAGH, LADIES MILE, ELLERSLIE, AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND * I would like to thank Gemma O’Doherty for highlighting the gross injustice that is being done to many communities in Ireland by wind farm developers. We, living in and around Knockraha village near Cork are faced with the prospect of having to live near gigantic wind turbines, which would not only ruin our beautiful countryside and our highly valued quality of life, but also devalue our properties.
Off shore wind farms are possibly beneficial to our environment, on land and near houses wind turbines clearly have only adverse effects. Germany, my homeland has been destroyed by thousands of wind farms for very little gain. BRIGITTE SCHORN, MEELEEN, KNOCKRAHA, CO CORK
6 May 2006
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