Don’t Let Them Blow It!
Call for Support for Cambridgeshire Wind Turbines
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Don’t Let Them Blow It! |
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Call for Support for Cambridgeshire Wind Turbines |
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We have witnessed, with mounting concern, the rejection of the Boxworth Windfarm planning appeal at the end of last year (following the refusal by South Cambridgeshire District to grant planning permission) and the burgeoning opposition to another windfarm planning application at Wadlow's Farm, West Wratting. As an environmental group we are frequently accused of being
anti-progress and it is with some surprise that we find ourselves having
to speak up for the progress of an emerging technology. Britain possesses some 40% of Europe’s wind power potential, it’s an
absolute scandal that the UK isn’t making better use of one of its
greatest natural resources to make it’s contribution to this
reduction. De-bunking the Myths Myth 1. "Wind turbines spoil the landscape " This is a highly subjective issue. Being visible is not necessarily the same as being intrusive. While some people express concern about the effect wind turbines have on the beauty of our landscape, others see them as elegant and beautiful, or symbols of a better, less polluted future. The landscape we inhabit is largely human-made and it evolves over time. In comparison to many other energy developments like coal and gas power stations, or open cast mining, wind farms have relatively little visual impact. Nevertheless National Parks or areas of high conservation value may not be appropriate spots for wind farms. The increased utilisation of renewable energy and greater use of wind power will mean that we will have more of these structures visible in our townscape and landscape in the future. But wind energy is one of the most environmentally benign ways of producing the electricity we need to power our daily lives. If we don't switch to cleaner forms of energy, climate change will severely and irrevocably alter much of our landscape as well as the animal and plant life it contains. And anyway, if we are speaking up against visual intrusion upon the
landscale, where are the campaigns. against HT power lines, grain silos,
motorway flyovers, phone masts, TV transmitters? Myth 2. Wind turbines kill lots of birds Monitoring of existing wind farms suggests that with sensitive siting adverse effect on bird populations can be minimized or avoided. The The RSPCA doesn’t think that well designed wind farms pose a significant threat to birds as do the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society in New Zealand who support the sustainable development of renewable energy such as wind power because it helps mitigate climate change, and state that: "climate change poses the most significant long-term threat to the environment...The available evidence suggests that appropriately positioned wind farms do not pose a significant hazard for birds." As large scale wind farm development is at a relatively early stage, we don't know much about potential bird death rates. However,the 9 harbour-wall turbines at Blyth in the UK are in a busy bird area. Of the bird flights through the wind farm, only 1 in 10,000 have resulted in a collision. This translates to 1-2 collisions per year per turbine. Using New Zealand as an example, no bird deaths have been reported during the ten years of operation of the Brooklyn wind turbine and the Tararua wind farm has had approximately 10 reported bird deaths in five years (See: www.eeca.govt.nz/uploadedDocuments/windsup_final.pdf). To put these figures into perspective, in the UK every year more than 10 million birds are killed by cars and 55 million by domestic cats and the Exxon Valdez oil spill alone is estimated to have killed up to 500,000 birds. In addition to bird mortality rates caused by wind turbines being much lower than other anthropogenic sources, studies have shown that birds are able to habituate to the new environment, a well thought-out design of the sites may reduce the risks of bird fatalities. For example wind farm developers avoid sites which lie across common migratory routes, keep a good distance between the turbines and avoid structures which are attractive nesting places for birds. Question.....? Modern turbines are actually very quiet. Thanks to advances in wind turbine technology, well-designed, well-sited turbines can be quiet enough to cause no disturbance to people living just a few hundred metres away. At these distances, any noise they do make is usually drowned out by the natural noise of the wind itself in the trees and vegetation. To protect nearby residents from any undue disturbance, proposals to install wind turbines are required to meet strict noise standards. Having read exaggerated claims in the press, people visiting wind farms are often surprised at how quiet they actually are. A conversation can be carried out at the base of a modern operating turbine without raising one's voice. The Scottish Executive public opinion survey for example is one of several demonstrating that concerns about noise are often unfounded. Before construction of the Scottish wind farms studied, 12% of people living near the sites thought that the turbines would cause a noise nuisance, but after construction, when people had experience of the wind farm operating, only 2% thought they were noisy. See here for survey What about infrasound? Infrasound and Low Frequency Noise are established as real causes of illness in some people, but there are no harmful infrasound effects from wind turbines. There are all sorts of sources of infrasound in the modern world such as cars and other road traffic, aircraft, diesel engines, trains, shipping, factories, combustion, artillery, mining and quarrying, fridges and other household appliances, fans, compressors and pumps, music, TVs, and air conditioning. Infrasound is also ubiquitous in the natural environment from sources like air turbulence - even from earthquakes and storms, sometimes thousands of miles away. Extensive work has already been carried out on infrasound from wind turbines, which demonstrated that "Low frequency noise and vibration levels were both found to comply with recommended residential criteria even on the wind farm site itself with the acoustic signal, below 20 Hz, being well below accepted thresholds of perception." In the words of infrasound expert John Leventhall: "There are no harmful infrasound effects from wind turbines." If a generator were to emit infrasound, the turbine tower would be affected, noticeably vibrating, and although at below audible sounds, this would be detected by the on board power control systems which monitor the wind turbine and would automatically shut it off. Tens of thousands of wind turbines have now been operating worldwide for up to 20 years, including in some of the countries with leading general studies on infrasound. No link or problem has been identified with the presence of wind turbines in these studies. For more information have a look here: "Low Frequency Noise and Infrasound from Wind Turbine Generators" For the last four years, the international wind power market has been expanding at a rate of about 30% each year. It’s now worth an annual $4 billion. It would be a crime if Britain, with it’s long engineering tradition, were to miss out on this opportunity. Even leaving aside climate change for a moment, the fuel is free, non-polluting, reduces our dependence on fuel imports from unstable regions of the world and due to it’s dispersed nature, increases the security of our energy supply.
What can we do? It is vital that we write as many letters as possible in support of the wind farm application to South Cambridgeshire District Council. Click on the windturbine to comment on the application online Or..... You can write in directly to the Planning Officer in charge at: Mr David Rush, Phone: 08450 450 500 Fax: 01954 713149 Also.... As the planning application will be considered by the Development and Conservation Control Committee, you might like to contact it's members who are:
If you're really keen you could even let the local MP, Jim Paice (Conservative) know how you feel.... I'm sure the national Conservative Party would like us all to subscribe to their newly acquired 'Green' credentials... Jim Paice can be found Here: Conservative
Party web page for James Paice MP and here: James Paice MP, If you're really, really keen you could try the local MEP He's Jeffrey Titford (UKIP). Website: http://www.jeffreytitfordmep.co.uk/Email:jtitford@ukip.org Phone:01245-266466 Letters to the local press are also very important to put the other side of the argument across to the general public. Don’t let ignorance leave Cambridgeshire in the fossil fuel age. Addresses: This is the address for the Cambridge Cambridge Newspapers, |
Frequently Asked
Questions
Some more of the most frequently asked questions on wind
power. Wind energy and environmental impact Public opinion
The mechanics and workings of wind
turbines Wind energy and health Wind energy economics Wind turbines on your property Beyond wind If your question isn't answered here, try
these links:
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Cambridge FoE Email: camfoe@telinco.co.uk Updated February 2007 |
