The pros and cons of wind power are making news
By Judy Lowe | 04.23.09
Wind power has been in the news this week:
– Offshore wind turbine projects proposed in several states got a boost Wednesday from new rules announced by the Interior Department. These make it likely that proposed wind farms in the Atlantic Ocean that have been delayed by opponents and a jurisdictional dispute between government agencies will move forward toward approval, with several probably getting under way within several years.
– As President Obama touted all kinds of renewable energy on Earth Day, he specifically mentioned that in 20 years, the US could be getting 20 percent of its energy from the wind.
– Today’s interview in Scientific American with Leon Steinberg, CEO of National Wind (which builds wind projects in the Midwest), discusses some of the advantages of wind power as well as a few of the obstacles to achieving the Obama administration’s goal.
But a few “discouraging words” about renewable or clean energy in general – and wind power specifically– were also heard:
– Not everyone is as enthusiastic about wind power as Obama. Gerry Meyer, who lives about 1,500 feet away from a wind farm in Fond du Lac County, Wis., told the Wall Street Journal that on some days it “sounds like a Chinook helicopter taking off.”
Another annoyance from wind farms can be what’s called “shadow flicker, a strobe-light effect that sometimes occurs when the sun hits wind turbines at a certain angle,” wrote Christine Buurma in the article, RENEWED ENERGY: Noise, Shadows Raise Hurdles For Wind Farms.
– Harm to birds and bats has been a persistent problem for wind turbines. Last Thursday, The Washington Post looked into Renewable Energy’s Environmental Paradox, wind (and solar) power projects that can adversely impact wildlife, including New Mexico’s sandhill cranes.
– KansasCity.com reported that potential problems for offshore wind turbines include not only bird strikes, but hurricanes and “the potential impact on military training that occurs in the Atlantic, said Dennis Scanlin, a senior research scientist with the Energy Center at Appalachian State University, in Boone, N.C.”
– Wind power is also attracting interest in Canada, reported the CBC on Tuesday. In “Going green without disrupting the environment,” it brings up the appearance issue – do wind farms detract from beautiful scenery? Many people feel that they do. And in areas that draw tourists because of their natural beauty, this can be a dilemma. It’s one facing Prince Edward Island.
And that’s the main issue on which Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) and his neighbors have been opposing and delaying a Cape Cod wind farm that will be visible from their homes. Discover magazine wrote about it Wednesday: U.S. Approves Offshore Wind Turbines (Even if They Block Kennedy Views).
– There were several reports about the higher costs of clean energy. One was in USA Today.
For Obama, the cost of renewable energy isn’t debatable: “The choice we face is not between saving our environment and saving our economy; it’s a choice between prosperity and decline,” he said.
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2. Gerry Meyer | 04.23.09
First I must say I live in the Invenergy wind farm in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin. I would think by now you would know about and report the health affects of living in an industrial wind farm. It is known pretty much world wide. You write noise is a problem for some. It is not just sound. It is the health affects from the sound and low frequency noise. Something in your name tells me you should care about that. Sound like a low flying jet and a Chinook helicopter are the norm. Heath affects such as sleep deprivation, headaches, ringing & buzzing in the ears, balance, anxiety, lack of motivation, memory loss & chest pains to name a few. In Guantanamo Bay sleep deprivation is considered torture. What about wind farm residents? Why can we be tortured? Wind turbines are designed to be 27-30% efficient in reality on a quarterly basis at times is 17.5% of it’s capacity. Keep that in mind when you hear a wind farm can run 60,000 homes or what ever it may be. Dividing that number by 4 or 5 would be more accurate. I live in a PSC approved project. They used no scientific info to site turbines even after hours of testimony to limit them. Renewable standards were hastily put in place and should be eliminated & a moratorium put in place until ALL health and safety issues are resolved by safe set backs and sound ordinances. “Politically hot” is not a good reason to stick large industrial wind turbines up residents back sides. Shadow flicker at a friend’s house lasts for 41 minutes, six weeks @ a time 2 times a year. Property values go down if you can even sell a home in a wind farm. It is a cruel hoax to think wind can help our electricity generation. If wind is viable let private industry promote it with no tax incentives and production credits.
It is extremely frustrating to listen to the lies of energy companies when they say the sound of an industrial wind turbine is like a conversation, as loud as your refrigerator, like waves on the ocean, like leaves blowing on trees, shadow flicker is minimal and “can” be eliminated (it is not), property values actually go up in a wind farm and on and on. None of this is true. At the same time residents of industrial wind farms are discredited when they give their testimony of what life is really like living near large wind turbines. Wind energy is a large government run hoax.
3. volunteer | 04.23.09
Obama is a man with no experience in creating, managing, etc and he is like a child running around starting new projects without a clue of what the ultimate consequences will be.
He is using the current financial crisis to rush through many new projects under the guise of “stimulus?
What BS
4. BILL FORTUNE | 04.23.09
They are installing Geothermal Electric Facilities from CA, Idaho, Nevada, Colorodo and other places about as fast as they can; no need for wind and solar.
MIT designed the Pebble Reactor that is very safe (can’t have a “melt-down”) and reduces the amount of spent fuel that can not be reprocessed. We can’t even build a test model in this country.
My friend has a patent to produce diesel fuel from coal with a bi-product being electricity. The carbon dioxide can be put in the ground where it reacts with other elements and becomes another harmless compound. CO2 can also be used to grow food and fight fires.
In New England Geothermal Heat Pumps (geo-exchange) is the only way to go with a pay-back of about 5 yrs at present oil prices and tax credits. Solar hot water heating (no building heating or cooling) has a pay-back of about 15 yrs with the credits.
Bill Fortune, Industrial Consultants Inc, Lee, NH
5. dr jay | 04.23.09
Building anything on or near salt water is always a losing proposition. With that said, still need to look at any source of renewable energy to continue the survival of the human race.
6. bill fortune | 04.24.09
Note: my comment (no. 3) above was not proof read; I hit the “submit comment” button by mistake. I’m just another engineer that can’t type and spell at the same time. Bill Fortune
7. Juan Hernandez | 04.24.09
There is no question that the noise produce by Wind Farms disturbs severely the way of life of near by residents. Nevertheless the undesireable side effects on the lives of a few for the benefit of the many does not warrant the dismissal of such a tremendous advance.
The Wind Farms benefit the future generations. The near by residents can move out of range but we can not move out to another planet.
Where the allegation are not without merit they must be put into perspective.
A workable solution would be the help of the many who benefit to the few that suffer to help them relocate.
8. Ben Jefferson | 04.24.09
Well “volunteer”, you lost the election, get to grips with it. If we had another today, you’d still lose - only even worse. You’d rather burn fossil fuels till the polar caps are gone. I agree we need to keep them away from populated areas - I’m more of a fan of solar in deserts anyway.
Obama “like a child without experience”? What were Bush and cronies? The lousiest incompetents that ever ruled (they didn’t govern). They were a curse this country will need decades to shake off.
And Gerry, no tax benefits for renewables, but keep ‘em going for good old oil and gas, aye? Geesh!!
9. K. Flatley | 04.24.09
The MIT Technology Review had an interesting article a few months ago about the US power grid and its current inability to support large quantities of alternative energy sources such as wind and solar. The grid is currently set up to accept energy from continuous sources such as coal. Humans can control the amount of coal burned and thus energy supplied to the grid, but we can’t control the amount of energy captured from the sun or wind. The amount of money it would cost to upgrade the grid would exceed the billions being spent on the current stimulas package (if memory serves me correctly). To me this seems like the biggest hurdle to jump in the US’s quest to supply more alternative energy to the grid.
10. Lesley Wischmann | 04.24.09
Wind farms also have the potential to destroy some magnificent historic landscapes. In Wyoming, a state that many point to as the future site for large wind energy farms because of our open spaces and low population, some of the areas being considered are alongside the still pristine ruts of the old Oregon Trail. Walking in the ruts left by those pioneers has a magical ability to transport one back into the 19th century and helps us appreciate the sacrifices of our ancestors, the sacrifices that gave us the country we are today. If those sites are disrupted, future generations will never have that opportunity and the spark of imagination that comes with them will be lost forever. We are a country that notoriously rushes forward without taking time to remember our past. The Oregon Trail is a transcendent part of our nation’s history that I would hate to see sacrificed. Surely, we can find better ways.
11. Sunshine | 04.27.09
I have always said that wind farms are to birds and bats what dams have been to salmon. My environmentalist friends have always looked at me like I was crazy, until lately.
12. Joel | 05.05.09
Really there are no cons to wind energy. I think If we all play our cards right we should have contol of wind energy as a dominate source of electricity. the pros of it is its a renualble source and i think we should look to using it for future purposes. Same goes with Solor Energy.;)
13. Brett | 05.10.09
I find it really hard to believe that wind farms are more of a health issue than the everyday activities that this country performs from the automobiles, hydro electric plants, nuclear plants, and fossil fueled plants. I do not here anyone trying to shut them down even though they provided the greatest risks and health hazards. Wind power is the oldest form of electrical generation and as for the beauty of the natural landscape that everyone keeps crying about I still don’t see anyone stopping the building of houses, sky scrapers, power line, roadways and ect… Next, I have heard no battle or talk about building housing complexes and destroying natural habitat for the wildlife and the millions of animals that have been lost due to starvation. The reality is that those who complain about the wind power generation for the reasons of health, wildlife, and natural beauty are really hypocrites in the fact they have not taken the time to fight the other battles of man destroying the earth. I question and even challenge those individuals to tell me what they have done to stop housing developments on precious farm land or what they have done to stop urban sprawl into natural habitats of our country, really the answer is nothing. The fact is wind power if embraced can reduce the consumption of our country’s natural resources and reduce urban sprawl and maintain natural habitat by keeping people out of the area. The reality is wind power is one of the safest alternatives in comparison conventional power generation for both the earth and humanity.
14. Monica Smith | 05.26.09
I think that wind farms are a very good thing because they provide energy for us to live on. If we didn’t have these wind farms and we used up all the energy what would we live on. Think about that Gerry Meyer.
15. thequestion | 07.29.09
As long as all the problems of wind power are not minimized any more than the problems with traditional “fossil fuels” (global warming, hah!), and as long as the government doesn’t give advantages or disadvantages to any energy supplies, renewable or otherwise, then I’m fine with having my electricity coming from wind.
16. Pax | 07.30.09
I read the above comments and feel that the comments supporting wind turbines have come from those who do not live right under them. The noise we are incurring with 8 turbines within a half a mile from our home has caused a host of health problems to me and my family. We are experiencing 45 to 70 decibles of noise coming into our home on a 24 hour basis. A hoover vaccuum cleaner runs at 65 decibles at a 10 ft distance. I can relate to the sound of a helicopter taking off in my driveway as a description of the sound. The thing that people don’t realize is that there is a drone or constant whip or thump sound that has caused us to nearly loose our minds at times. I would describe it as someone tapping your chest in rythm 24 hours a day. We moved to the country for the peace and quiet and are now considering moving to gain some relief. Headaches are something you people are not aware of and we are experiencing those on a regular basis where we had them rarely before the towers turned on. The low frequency sound waves can be felt in your chest 24 hours a day and you cannot shut it off. I am concerned for the health of those who are having to live withing a mile of the towers and hope that you all do your research on this issue before you speak about the benefits. VED or vibrocustical disease is REAL. Please educate yourselves on the health concerns that are unfolding nation wide as the wind turbine farms sweep the country. You can search Google under “living with wind turbines” or type in VED or wind turbine disease. I am just an ordinary person, not an activist, but have first hand experience with the obnoxious noise and constant drone of the wind towers. Try sleeping with over 50 decibles coming thorugh your bedroom walls at night when 20 is normal for sleep in a rural area. Please take the time to educate yourselves on the health effects of the turbines that are irresponsibly placed near homes. Regulations should be in place before the towers are allowed near dwellings.
17. Scott Kenosha | 10.05.09
I am going to have to take the moderate ground on the issue of wind. The benefits of adding extra energy to the grid by renewable resources is beyond a doubt a worthwhile venture. However the health issues that have arisen in association with the large megawatt turbines cannot be ignored. There are technologies to dampen the ULFs that have been most commonly associated with the “Wind Turbine Syndrome” symptoms that have been described above by others. Many of these technologies have only surfaced in recent years which means they wouldn’t have been available when many of these wind farms went up. It is not unreasonable that as these technologies improve and become available that the owners, i.e. power companies, of these farms should be responsible for updating their turbines to utilize sound dampening equipment, or paying to have ULF blocking insulation installed on homes within a certain radius of these farms. There’s nothing wrong with wind power, or any type of power as long as it is done responsibly.
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1. Tim Fitzgerald | 04.23.09
Let keep wind farms away from populated areas. Keep them in the oceans and deserts.