Wind turbines on your door step?

[Helsbells]

I am all for renewable energy but am now in that awful situation of wanting to stand up for what I believe in, but also slightly concerned about wind turbines going up less than a mile from my house.

Had a letter through the post last week saying four were going to be put up, the nearest of which would be less than a mile from my house. They are 130m high. I am not worried about the sight of them, although hubby is worried they will reduce the value of our house if they are visible, but I have concerns over health issues of the vibrations, buffering of the wind, noise etc. Should I be concerned? I want to agree with them and be in support of them, but I don't want to be ill!! Apparently in Scotland there is a law saying they can't be built within 2 miles of residential areas, is this true? f so, what are the Scottish govornments reasons?

Any help appreciated.

hels

[MKG]

There's virtually nil reasonable research specifically on wind turbines (and a lot of what does exist can safely be consigned to the "if it's new, let's find evidence for an associated illness" brigade. But then wind turbines are NOT new technology and their action is well-understood. Every responsible agency is admitting that they produce infrasound vibrations (ie below human audible range) and the effect of strong infrasound on humans is another well-understood thing. If it's strong enough, it makes people nervous and agitated. Constant nervousness and agitation can obviously lead to illness.

The big question, though, and the bit which hasn't yet been objectively researched, is whether or not the wind turbines used on wind farms produce an effective level of infrasound over the distances used in building regulations (as far as I'm aware, it's 250 metres in England and Wales. There's one place in California which restricted it to 2 miles on anecdotal evidence, and I don't know about Scotland).

It has to be a wait and see situation, because the research simply hasn't been done. However, worrying and fretting about the possibility of an outcome implying that the turbines should have been built further away is just as likely to make you ill as any infrasound effects. Do bear in mind, however, that there are a lot of infrasound sources around - power stations and the London Underground for instance. I can't remember too many instances of complaints about those (for lots of other reasons, yes, but not for infrasound).

So, the jury's still out. If you want my personal opinion, I'd bet that one mile is easily far enough away to subdue any strong infrasound.

Mike

[Helsbells]

Thanks for the info Mike.

[Ellendra]

Here's a wind turbine that would fit on your doorstep: http://www.reuk.co.uk/Pringle-Tube-VAWT ... -Plans.htm

It could even be painted to look pretty.

[JessieMac]

Sorry to tell you this but when I spoke to the planning dept a few months ago I was told that each application is judged on it's merits and that there is no set distance and to go by the amount going up here we will soon be taking off into the wide blue yonder when the wind is high.
Farmers and landowners are getting grants to put them up and some companies are renting the land and putting up groups of as many as twenty at a time.
I have no problem with them as long as sense is used but this does not seem to be happening as at least 75% of the planning aps here now seem to be for turbines.

[fruitcake]

H
not related to the health suff but many communities are now approaching developers and using the opportunity to get their own turbine and income for community trust as a pay back / local benefit thing

see groups like http://www.fintrydt.org.uk/ where they get an annual income from a turbine that they purchased that they are then using to insulate local houses

[StripyPixieSocks]

We also have turbines nearby and suffer no problems either noise wise or health-wise and I know of now-one else who suffers either. The people at the CAT Centre in Wales have been living near turbines and al sorts for years to no ill effects :)

[Milims]

I think that they are lovely! They fascinate me! I love to see their magnificent "wings" turning like magic. Am I strange? I really don't see why there is so much objection to them when we tollerate really ugly pylons, wires that slash the sky line, the horrid buzzing from the electricity that passes thru them, train lines and the noise they bring, ugly buildings that house the machinery that brings us the electricity we use. By comparison they are really rather lovely!

[Millymollymandy]

I wouldn't want one close to my house as the only time I've been up close (it's not actually easy to get close to them!) is a layby on a French motorway somewhere near Boulogne. Standing very close to them is quite .... hmm can't describe it, but not nice, and the noise is quite eerie and I wouldn't want that near my garden! It would do my nut in!

Also these ones that some of you are talking about at schools, farms, supermarkets, industry etc are only little ones, not the huge monsters you can see from x miles away. At least they are in France.

[oldjerry]

I can understand your reticence at having ANY large structure built close to your home.As ever, the corporative state has corrupted a practical and economical small scale contribution to sustainable living.To be fair,I've stood very close to some turbines near the A30 and I couldn't hear a thing (could be my age).Must say (and I really am not referring to the original post,with which I have a lot of sympathy) that it always makes me smile when people kick off about windfarms destroying their local ambiance,yet ignore the fact that some people have to live near COAL fired power stations,chemical plants etc.Though they are usually in less leafy places..... or the North.

[jim]

Dear Oldjerry,

No, it's not your age. I've also stood very close to some industrial sized turbines beside the A30 near Bodmin and, like you, neither heard undue noise nor felt strange vibration. However, I've seen the thick, black smoke spewing from the oil fired station at Marchwood some 12 miles from where I live (as the particulates fly - making the rain acid) and know which type of generation I'd prefer to have in my backyard,

Love and Peace
Jim

[pelmetman]

There is a huge windfarm in the sea off of Skegness and we find them quite interesting to watch.

However, call us niave but we always presumed the electricity would travel from the windfarm through underground pipework.

We now know that this is not always the case as the outskirts of our village is being considered as a suitable place to build a 43 acre sub station which will be a real blot on the landscape. In addition to the sub station there will be 150 metre high pylons going up as far as Grimbsy - so if you think that windfarms means no pylons THINK AGAIN.

Sue

[ina]

I can't even understand all those objections to pylons - I grew up with them all over the landscape, and for me they were just a natural part of it - like turbines these days! I only realised that something was missing from the British landscape (at least parts of it) when I returned to Germany one year and saw - pylons - hooray!

So, what I'm trying to say - it's all down to very personal perception.

[JessieMac]

I have no objections to wind turbines as such and agree that they are needed and I don't mind them a mile or so from any house but around here they seem to be putting them too near other peoples houses while the people who are makeing the money from them seem to live nowhere near them.
I think that it is a lack of sense in planning that is causeing the problems and although I have a hearing loss the one a few miles from me next to the road is very loud when you pass it by.
It is just like anything else a little common sense would go a long way.

[Green Aura]

We're just working our way through the process of getting a couple of large wind turbines for the village. It's an opportunity for us to raise some money for our community.

The nearest power station to us is Dounreay -currently being decommissioned thank goodness.