I have read last week’s letter, “Wind turbines are quiet and unobtrusive” and was momentarily speechless.
It never lasts long, though, and statements like “they are quiet and unobtrusive” can, in my opinion, only be made by somebody who either does not know anything about wind turbines or somebody who has a financial interest, or both.
We have been down this road of noise from turbines many times and we have more and more evidence to prove that these monstrosities have a detrimental effect on health due to the noise they emit.
Maybe Heather Miller should contact the people living in Nova Scotia who had to leave their homes due to noise and health effects from turbines, before she makes sweeping statements.
She states “that they use clean energy that is free.” They may produce energy, but it is neither clean (don’t forget the need for hundreds of lorry loads of concrete, the manufacturing – which is most definitely not solely powered by wind- transportation, shipping etc.) or the fact that we are all paying for this energy (whether we like it or not) which is approximately twice as expensive than traditional means of electricity generation.
We are not even contemplating the cost of the destruction of our treasured countryside or the damage to our wildlife.
She says she would prefer wind turbines to a nuclear power station but it is not a question of either the one or the other.
Wind turbines cannot replace a nuclear power station due to the fact that they only work if the wind blows – hold it – at a certain speed (on average 30-50mph), which does not happen on a regular enough basis and any output below the optimum wind speed will be negligible.
She is right with one statement: “Surely we have a duty to preserve the landscape for future generations'” – well done and that quite obviously rules out the use of wind turbines.
Last, but not least, the question of “wouldn’t it make better money sense to have power that does not impact on family life or threaten it?” can only be answered in one way: Yes, but that also rules out wind turbines!
What would make sense, though, would be to invest in research to find a real answer rather than squandering enormous fortunes on something that does not do what it says on the tin.
Otherwise, we will be forced to invest in base load generation as we know it or sit in the dark.
A Grabis, Putford
12 March 2008
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/03/12/not-a-case-of-wind-turbines-or-nuclear/