Anyone live near a wind turbine?

brundles · 23-07-2008, 21:34

It seems Barratt Homes have decided to install a great big wind turbine just behind a school near by (nearby = 2 minutes walk). Barratt have a vested interest in the form of government subsidies, rebates, etc. but obviously the local people won't get anything from it.

There is a local group that have started a campaign against it and are touting a whole bunch of death scenarios.

I was curious to know if anyone on here had any experience or more balanced views about living so close to one.

**Chris** · 23-07-2008, 22:56

I'd question whether any of the scare stories on that website are as bad as they are making them out to be. And I suspect the only one that *really* bothers them is the one where their houses lose value.

In particular, that shadow flicker video is only impressive until you consider a few things:

1. The video was taken early in the morning when the sun was behind the turbine. This isn't something that would be a constant problem.
2. The camera was set for indoor filming. The momentary passage of the shadow isn't sufficient for auto-exposure to compensate and this would tend to exaggerate the effect of the shadow when the video is played back. I doubt it's anything like that stark in real life.
3. Only a handful of homes - if that - could possibly occupy the relatively small patch of ground where a long, early-morning turbine shadow would be cast. The website doesn't present evidence that *any* homes would fall within the direct shadow of this particular turbine.

Also, the website makes much of 'documented cases' where turbines shattered and threw debris 500 metres. Conveniently they don't cite their sources so that the rest of us might examine the facts of that case and make some judgement about how likely that is to happen in this case.

brundles · 23-07-2008, 23:05

I'd been thinking the same sort of thing about the exploding turbines. What did get my attention though was the (admittedly 4 year old) article they linked to on The Telegraph that referred to potential health implications - ones which the representative from the British Wind Association didn't really try and dispell.

nomadking · 23-07-2008, 23:33

Apart from the fact that they are no use whatsoever. Even environmental compaigner George Monbiot admitted on Channel 4 news that renewable energy was useless and that campaigners shouldn't have focused on it. Conventional power stations have to generate just as much electricity as if the turbines were not there in the first place, because production is intermittent and totally unpredictable.

Is this video fake then?
Story from New Zealand.
This one from the UK.
Another from the US.
I suppose people will still deny it happens.

Cobbydaler · 23-07-2008, 23:45

I make no excuse for re-posting this Link...

**Chris** · 23-07-2008, 23:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by nomadking

Apart from the fact that they are no use whatsoever. Even environmental compaigner George Monbiot admitted on Channel 4 news that renewable energy was useless and that campaigners shouldn't have focused on it. Conventional power stations have to generate just as much electricity as if the turbines were not there in the first place, because production is intermittent and totally unpredictable.

Is this video fake then?
Story from New Zealand.
This one from the UK.
Another from the US.
I suppose people will still deny it happens.

1. Could you provide a link to Monbiot's comments, or at least quote them fully - it's a little difficult to judge them in context simply on your say-so.

2. Who says the video is fake? I haven't even seen it (your link doesn't work).
3. Prototype wind turbine fails, leading to improvements prior to the final design going commercial. How shocking.
4. The first and only time this has happened in the UK - and we passed the 1,000-turbine mark in the UK over four years ago. Is there any follow-up information on the cause of this? Are turbines inherently faulty, or was this an isolated case of poor quality manufacture?
5. Again, what conclusions were drawn from this? The turbine was not operating at the time and was undergoing maintenance. Was this a factor? Structural failure or human error?

brundles · 24-07-2008, 00:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris T

I'd question whether any of the scare stories on that website are as bad as they are making them out to be. And I suspect the only one that *really* bothers them is the one where their houses lose value.

After doing some more digging on a few things mentioned on the website, the house price thing may not be as significant (or at least I hope not!) as implied. The report the graph came from indicates that the locals thought the affected area simply wasn't that nice anyway. i.e. Perhaps the prices there were low before the turbine came in.

Some of the other stuff - health, TV reception may be worse than suggested though. I can see VM and Sky getting a bunch more signups if that turbine goes ahead (based on the BBCs own website), put it that way!

The thing that worries me here is that Barratt already have planning permission (read as "they've built and started selling") for a largish development where they're looking to build the turbine so it may be a case of them tweaking an existing planning application rather than a new one from scratch.

Xaccers · 24-07-2008, 00:03

I work about 100m from one, and quite frankly I think it's beautiful.
Wish every large roundabout in MK had one.

http://www.businessgreen.com/busines...neers-vertical

brundles · 24-07-2008, 00:10

The 20 metres that article refers to doesn't really compare the 140 metres they're looking at setting up here though does it?

Must admit that the one Mercedes are using does look a lot more innovative and elegant though.

nomadking · 24-07-2008, 00:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris T

1. Could you provide a link to Monbiot's comments, or at least quote them fully - it's a little difficult to judge them in context simply on your say-so.

2. Who says the video is fake? I haven't even seen it (your link doesn't work).
3. Prototype wind turbine fails, leading to improvements prior to the final design going commercial. How shocking.
4. The first and only time this has happened in the UK - and we passed the 1,000-turbine mark in the UK over four years ago. Is there any follow-up information on the cause of this? Are turbines inherently faulty, or was this an isolated case of poor quality manufacture?
5. Again, what conclusions were drawn from this? The turbine was not operating at the time and was undergoing maintenance. Was this a factor? Structural failure or human error?

1. I didn't record it, but I was taken aback by his statement that compaigners shouldn't have focused on renewables until a viable mass energy storage system could be devised. But you could read this article from his website or this one.
2. Link is now fixed, but there are other examples.
3/4. Try google +"wind turbine" +collapse
5. If the repair was for structural damage, then either way it was going to collapse.

Maroon · 24-07-2008, 06:46

I live about 500m away from wind turbine here http://www.beaufortcourt.com/

Personaly I like it. You can't hear it unless you're standing right next to it and even then only just above the sound of the wind.

It can be seen from miles around and it's a nice walk to take the boys to!

Raistlin · 24-07-2008, 08:00

Have to add to the voices that say they like them, I think they look very graceful from far away and simply awe inspiring from close up.

The may not be the end to all of our energy worries, and they may not be to everybody's taste, but they're helping (if only in small amounts) and I for one would be happy to see more of them

LondonRoad · 24-07-2008, 15:35

There is something aesthetically pleasing about individual wind turbines. Perhaps it's triggered by happy childhood memories of sunny spring days and cheap plastic windmills we used to put in the garden beside the daffodils.

Large wind farms do however have some negative impact on the landscape but then again I haven't viewed any must see Nucleur power stations.

**Chris** · 24-07-2008, 16:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by harmitage

There is something aesthetically pleasing about individual wind turbines. Perhaps it's triggered by happy childhood memories of sunny spring days and cheap plastic windmills we used to put in the garden beside the daffodils.

Large wind farms do however have some negative impact on the landscape but then again I haven't viewed any must see Nucleur power stations.

This might help - it's from one of our recent holiday photos. Forgive the mushy image quality, as it's cropped from a background to a family snap, rather than the focus of the image.

At the centre is Hunterston B, a functioning Advanced Gas Reactor on the Ayrshire coast. On the right is one of the two main buildings of Hunterston A, a decommissioned Magnox station. At far left is a windfarm - not sure what it's called.

The vantage point is Newton Beach at Millport, Isle of Cumbrae.

LondonRoad · 24-07-2008, 16:20

Flipping heck, I know the view well but I haven't been to Millport for a couple of years. When did the wind farm appear?