Tim Worstall

Wind Turbine Noise

Not to put too much weight on this survey (carried out by a GP with an unknown methodology) but there is an important point here:

The majority of people living near wind turbines
believe that the noise they make is ruining their health and quality of
life, a report has revealed.

Neighbours also claim
that the constant hum and the loud "whooshing" sound made by the blades
in high winds is destroying the value of their homes.

A
survey of people whose homes are situated within 1.2 miles of turbines
has shown that three-quarters of them feel that the noise has damaged
their quality of life while four out of five say it has affected their
health.

Any form of energy generation has externalities…and should, therefore, pay for them. If we take the view that a coal fired plant should pay for the CO2, then so should a wind plant (yes, there are emissions). Similarly, if a coal plant must pay for noise so should a wind plant.

In

6 responses

  1. dearieme Avatar
    dearieme

    Why worry about the externalities of wind power when the internalities are negative?

    Reply
  2. Codepope Avatar
    Codepope

    Well, not so much an unknown methodology…
    http://www.yorkshiretoday.co.uk/ViewArticle.aspx?SectionID=55&ArticleID=756913
    “Amanda Harry, a GP in Plymouth, is conducting a survey of low-frequency noise sensitivity among people who live close to wind farms and would like to hear from anyone from Yorkshire interested in taking part.”
    Now this was 2004, but the sample size doesn’t seem to be anything more than a large dinner party…
    “Her survey began with 14 people living within a mile of the Bears Down wind farm near Padstow, Cornwall, and, she says, all but one of them reported getting more headaches since the 16 turbines were put up two years ago. Some also blame the turbines for insomnia, migraines, nausea and depression.
    She said yesterday: “I now have results from 36 people, from Wales, Cumbria and Cornwall, and two thirds of them feel that their quality of life has been adversely affected by living near the turbines.”
    Not so much a survey, more a write-in poll.

    Reply
  3. sortapundit Avatar
    sortapundit

    I’m more concerned about the five percent of respondents who believe the turbines have affected their health but don’t believe they’ve affected their quality of life. Is there some little known positive health effect that isn’t being mentioned? Superpowers, maybe, or a slight increase in penis size due to favourable air currents?

    Reply
  4. Matthew Avatar
    Matthew

    Maybe they were suicidal, and had no quality of life, and in fact as it has hastened death, they are quite pleased?

    Reply
  5. Jane Davis Avatar
    Jane Davis

    As one of the families affected by noise from a probably innaprpriately placed turbine “farm” we have been forced to rent a house 5 miles away to sleep in, our house is now unsaleable as a home for people to live in and there is NO legislation in the UK that will protect – or indeed compensate us..and apparently the wind farm opeartors dont know how to fix the problem. (although they, the DTI, DEFRA and the local District Council all accept that there is a problem..)Oh – and there doesn’t appear to be a way of predicting which wind farms – where will have similar problems to ours. I guess the jury is out on whether its sleep deprivation (max 4 hours/night at worst) or the turbines themselves that cause the reported insomnia, migraines, nausea and depression. All I know is that we suffer from all of those when we attempt to sleep at home – but sleep soundly and wake refreshed when we sleep elsewhere..so we have lost everything – in the name of renewable energy. Its interesting to note having just returned from Sweden that friends their have reduced their electric usage by 3/4 simply by fitting an underground thermal heating unit that absorbs heat from the ground…….and it doesn’t “hum” either – which the turbines do….

    Reply
  6. Avatar
    Anonymous

    Hear A Wind Turbine? You Have A Check Coming!

    I know I am just giving Donna ideas but… ‘if a coal plant must p…

    Reply

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