Wind Turbines 'Are Ruining Our Quality Of Life' (UK)

The Telegraph (UK) ^ | 4-16-1007 | Martin Beckford

[Zeroisanumber]

Bah. I lived near an interstate for years, you get used to the white noise after a while.

[steve86]

Two weeks ago I stood directly under a three blade, two-hundred foot turbine in approximately 35-40 mph winds (had to sneak in to the site, although they don’t try very hard to keep out trespassers). My main impressions was that, although you can hear a low-frequency “whoosing”, it is certainly not loud by any stretch of the imagination. The wind around me was almost louder, although of different frequencies. Although I was alone, I would think a person’s normal speaking voice (for standing in the wind on a hill) would be louder than the turbines. My other impression is that it is scary looking at the blades come down toward you at about 150 mph. I didn’t stand right under the blade's path for very long, because I suppose something could be thrown off them at that speed as well, although I saw no dead birds around the base, or anything else unusual on the ground.

[steve86]

Meant “whooshing”.

The maximum permissible speed of the rotor tips on this series of turbines is 183 MPH. Feathering and braking will limit the speed to that. There is a huge disk brake in the nacelle behind the rotors. There is also a very long ladder to the top of the pylon that runs up the inside.

[WireAndWood]

The left will simply not stop tearing down until we’re all back in the stone ages.

Well no, not even then, because the making of stone tools will upset the environment ...

[alnitak]

I have also stood next to a turbine, though in more moderate winds. The only notable noise was a slight “whump” as the blade passes the tower. Not objectionable at all.

When you add up the noise from traffic, planes, trains (which can be heard for miles in the evening) and birds (****** magpies!), car stereos, parties, etc. the UK is not a quiet place. I doubt that wind turbines are making any noticeable difference.

[Stoat]

Related thread, crosslinked

Brussels demands thousands more wind turbines across the UK

[Razz Barry]

Liberals are lost. They whine about the lack of alternative power sources, then after you provide them, they whine about them....I wish I had a magic wand I could wave and make them all disappear from the face of the earth. It would be such a nice place then.

I wish you had one too. It'd be nice to enjoy safe, clean streets and schools. We'd have no welfare and could close 75% of the prisons. Look at the billions we'd save on AIDS alone.