Higgins Mountain

It was such a beautiful day today, I decided to take a drive out to the three wind turbines near Westchester on Higgins Mountain.

You can see them from quite a distance. Indeed, you can see them from South Pugwash some 30km away.

After a rather muddy last few kilometres I got to the first turbine which was just put into operation a week or so ago. The tower (nacelle) is 69m and the rotors are each 31m. At a total of 100m in height, it is HUGE.

When I first got out of the car, I wondered what the noise was. I was looking around for the large plane that was coming in for a landing, but it was the turbine. I was expecting some noise, but this was much worse than I had expected. These turbines are supposed to be the "quiet kind", with a direct drive. Then there is the swoosh, swoosh, swooch of the rotors. Very noisy. Today there was hardly any wind, but if it did change direction or speed at all, there was an alarming change in the noise coming from the turbine.

I took a couple of photos and short video on my little digital camera. I would have taken more but this turbine was making me feel nervous. I found its size and noise very oppressive, intimidating and rather scary and felt too uncomfortable to stay long. I might have driven a couple more kilometres to the next two turbines, but the road is very muddy and badly rutted.

I retreated down the mountain back towards Westchester and stopped to talk to the nearest neighbour who was working in his back yard. As the crow flies they are about 600m from the closest turbine and are finding themselves really bothered by the noise of this newest turbine. The degree of noise depends on wind direction. While we were talking, the turbine noise came and went. Very annoying. The owner grew up in the area and when he bought his current property he thought he was going to get peace and quiet - along with a stupendous view of northern Cumberland County, the Strait and, on a clear day, Confederation Bridge. Beautiful spot - if you're looking north!

The next neighbours are about 2km away. The only other land use in the area is forestry and blueberries. I have heard that Vector Wind Energy would like to add 30 more turbines in that area.

The proposed project for the Gulf Shore call for 120m turbines which would be gear driven. These are much noisier and difficult to maintain than the direct drive variety found on Higgins Mountain. On Higgins Mountain and Windham Hill (near Springhill), the roads twist and turn and change elevation as you drive through the woods, somewhat obscuring the turbines from view and noise. The Gulf Shore is also relatively open and flat - there's nowhere for them to hide out here! It is also much more densely populated.

If the County Councillors are going to decide for the rest of us where these turbines go, the least they can do is to take a field trip out to Higgins Mountain to see and hear them for themselves. No amount of description is enough to comprehend what they are like. You have to see it for yourself.

Municipal setbacks

This is what I have just sent out to my contact list:

The Cumberland County Municipal Council met on Wednesday and passed the first reading of an amendment to the land use bylaws that allows for large wind turbines to be placed as close as three times the height of a turbine to a property line. This is despite all the information and protests that have been sent to them.

A 120m (394 ft) turbine could be as close as 360m (0.22 mile) from your property. This is just too close.

In Europe, where they have been living with turbines for way longer than we have, they have learned their lesson and are placing them further and further away. In Germany the setback is 2km (1.24 mile), in the UK it is most recently suggested to be 1 mile (1.6km) and in Denmark they are no longer allowed on land at all!

The County has used numbers found within Canada where this industry is still quite new and still finding it's feet. Why not look where populations have more experience with turbines and their pros and cons?

I suggest a setback of ten times the height of a turbine or 2km, whichever is greater.

This is already a compromise of what would actually be appropriate. I also suggest that buildings and facilities other than "building intended for occupation" be listed. These would include hospitals, hotels, schools, theatres, fire halls, community/rec centres, parks, campgrounds, golf courses, ball fields, air strips, the Trans Canada Trail, wild life reserves, established snowmobile or ATV trails.

Most people believe that renewable energy resources are the way to go. However, if wind turbines are situated in inappropriate places the public will not continue to support them. Cumberland County is big and sparsely populated - there's lots of room for turbines and for the population to continue to enjoy this beautiful County as they always have.

April 18th will be a final opportunity for the public to make presentations to Council. If not moved by the public sufficiently to postpone the second reading for further consideration, Council would then give this proposal a second reading that day, pass it and we're left with an untenable setback.

This affects everyone, everywhere in the County. That's why it's so very important that everyone on this list and anyone else you know who is not yet on this list who you can contact, send their comments (again) to the County. And this time the gloves are off. Send your e-mail to all the Councillors. And try to get to the April 18th meeting if you possibly can.

Only 21 e-mails/letters from residents and three from developers were reported to have been received by the County so far. I find this a very low number. Many, many people have copied me in on their message and I have to wonder where all the other messages went!. If the County did not already send you a copy of the amendment Friday afternoon (March 23rd), they never received your e-mail and that makes it all the more important that you contact them now. I have a copy of the amendment and attached memo and can forward it on to you if you want it.

Here are the email addresses again:

Gerald Read, Nappan garead@cumberlandcounty.ns.ca

John Kellergrew, RR3 Amherst jkellegrew@cumberlandcounty.ns.ca

Keith Hunter, Tidnish khunter@cumberlandcounty.ns.ca

Kathy Langille, Pugwash klangille@cumberlandcounty.ns.ca

Gerald Langille, Wallace glangille@cumberlandcounty.ns.ca

Kathy Redmond, Wentworth rkjsredmond@ns.sympatico.ca

Ralph Welton, Oxford welton@cumberlandcounty.ns.ca

Ernest Gilbert, Southampton egilbert@cumberlandcounty.ns.ca

John Reid, River Hebert jreid@cumberlandcounty.ns.ca

Ratchford Merriam Parrsboro info@cumberlandcounty.ns.ca

County Planner Jim Coughlin jcoughlin@cumberlandcounty.ns.ca

Gerry Langille (Wallace) is the only councellor who has publicly opposed the current setback and wants to increase it. I hear there are a couple more who are sympathetic but for some reason have not spoken out. The others seem to think that the setbacks need to be a little as possible so they can jam in as many turbines into a development as they can. Kathy Redmond says she asked folk in Westchester if the Higgins Mountain project bothered them and they said "no". I wonder how close they are to the turbines?

Those turbines are pretty isolated.

As they should be!

How much demand do they think there is for power in this County? Or do they expect to make money by selling it? So much for advertising to visitors this beautiful part of the world as a quiet vacation spot! How many turbines did you notice in the latest tourism brochure you picked up or saw on TV tourism advertisements?

The County has not taken into sufficient consideration the affects these turbines have on individuals and their community. What was once a quiet rural get-away becomes an industrial estate.

As far as I am concerned the three most important issues that affect setbacks are:

Safety

Ice throw, failure of the rotors, fire, bird and bat mortality

Health

Noise, shadow flicker, ultrasonic noise/vibration, stress, blight, high voltage cables

Reasonable enjoyment of one's own property.

Including expecting a reasonable return if ever sold.

I moved here for peace and quiet and it is not unreasonable for me to continue to expect it.

~~~~~~~~~

If you have a problem with a particular wind farm in this County, I suggest you also contact those companies.

Gulf Shore/Pugwash (potential site)

Atlantic Wind Power Corporation Inc.

Charles Demond (president) cdemond@awpc.com

(Mr.) Clair Peers c.peers@ns.sympatico.ca

Tantramar Marsh (approved already)

edited 31 May 2009 by request
ACCIONA Energy North America (Spain)
Eric Schneider
312 673 3084
eschneider@acciona-na.com
(As of March 2009, this project is on hold)

Higgins Mountain (three turbines already, Vector wants to add more)

Vextor Wind Energy (Calgary and Ottawa)

All I can find is a phone number: 403 269 9379

Fundy Shore (potential)

No idea who they are, just heard about them on Friday.

Comments

I have changed some settings which should now allow your comments to be posted. The time stamp has also been corrected to Atlantic time.

Apologies to those whose comments have been lost. Please feel free to post again.

Marshville Turbine

Last Sunday I took a short road trip to see the 880kW turbine that has gone up at Marshville, just west of River John (16 km east Tatamagouche). The tower is only 50m with 48m diameter rotors, but it is still impressive.

I was very disappointed to see how close to the road it is. It is only about 100m from the road. There are many safety concerns over a turbine being so close including thrown ice, turbine failure or fire.

This turbine is, for it’s height, approximately at the setback from the road that Cumberland County is proposing for turbines.

If something goes wrong, poorly positioned turbines like this can give wind power a bad name. In the appropriate location, turbines can be beneficial for the environment.

Sunday was a rather grey day, so my photos are also a little grey.

Remember, this is only a 50m tower . The turbine towers proposed for Pugwash/Gulf Shore are 80m!

There was very little wind, but even back at the road I could clearly hear the whooshing of each blade as it passed the tower. There was also a highly irritating high pitched whine.

I didn't approach the tower as some others had. There was a no trespassing sign posted.

County Planning Report

The Municipality of Cumberland is putting together a new zoning bylaw that will stipulate the "set back" of large and small scale wind turbines. This is in response to recently proposed wind farms. A farm of 17 turbines has been approved for the Tantramar Marsh outside of Amherst and another of 20-27 is proposed for Pugwash/Gulf Shore.

However, whether this farm is approved eventually or not, at this point all the County is interested in is how far to set back zoning for large wind turbines in general. There is currently nothing in the bylaws for wind turbines. There is a stipulated process in how this bylaw amendment happens. Below is a synopsis of a planning report. A first draft is now in progress. It is sent to interested parties for comment ready for first reading. After any required revisions there will be a public hearing, a second reading and then it is enacted.

The County Planner gave his planning report last week. He has used information from other municipalities, provinces, federal agencies, wind energy industry and the Canadian Wind Association (Particular sources not cited).

• All wind energy projects requiring federal funding must undergo a federal environmental assessment (Proposed farms in this county are currently not applying for federal funding)
• Turbines producing over 2 megawatts of power must undergo a provincial environmental assessment (eg Higgins Mountain project)
• Environmental studies include "potential impacts on water and air quality, flora and fauna, land use, noise levels, public safety and landscape aesthetics."
• The report describes the difference between a large turbine (commercial units in ones, twos and in multiples [or farms] each capable of producing 1-2 mega watts of power) and small scale (for personal or single business use like the one at the police station in Amherst and can produce up to 100 kilowatts). Small scale turbines are classed as "right-of-use" ie you can put one of these up on your own property as is your property owner's right.
• Bill 84 proposes rates that would allow he County to make $5,500 per megawatt ($1.million in taxes from the Tantramar Marsh project)
• Noise, low frequency or infrasound noise, shadow flicker, thrown ice, turbine failure are briefly described. Municipalities are responsible for mitigating these issues by determining set back values. In this draft, noise is presumed to have the greatest affect for the greatest distance. (Shadow flicker can affect an area for many kilometres. At our latitude, a 120m turbine only 500m away can cause shadow flicker for four hours a day at midwinter. Chunks of ice can be thrown 550m -see earlier blog).
• Visual aspects such as lighting, using the towers for advertising, removal of decommissioned turbines, public access are mentioned as being issues that the municipality may address.
• Municipalities have used noise, shadow flicker and safety studies to determine set backs of 1 - 4 times the turbine height. Examples of actual wind turbines set backs from around Nova Scotia are cited. Rotor distance from the ground (7.5m) and set backs for distance between turbines and from the project boundary range 1 - 1.25 the turbine height.
• Existing large scale turbine regulations and projects are discussed. In 2001 Council amended the land use bylaw to allow for a new "utility zone" which has no minimum lot size or frontage and is applied on a case-by-case basis. Public notices and hearings would be required.
• A land use bylaw for Joggins came into effect August 2006, providing for large and small turbines. Large turbines will be permitted 300m from a property as long as there is no detrimental environmental, aesthetic, noise or safety impact. "Set backs from property lines were established at 125% of the turbine height".
• Conclusion: "There are three alternatives to implementing new policies and regulations for wind turbines...." that they be permitted "as-of-right" , by rezoning or by development agreements.
• Recommendations:

1 Permit wind projects "as -of-right"

2 Set back of 125% of the turbine's height depending on studies presented by the developer. (Potentially, a 120m turbine need only be setback 150m!)

3 Developers should provide information from studies that noise, vibrations, ultrasonic sound, shadow flicker and ice are not a concern for locals within 1km. These studies should be presented at the same time as the development permit application

This planning report clarifies much of the process but it does not guarantee that anyone of us might find a wind turbine next to our back yard. A guaranteed 1km distance should be the bare minimum set back, with a preference of 2-5km (Germany has setbacks of 2km, California set backs are 2 miles). This report does not appear to include taking into consideration the current use made of the surrounding area (recreational, tourist, farming or industrial). Nor does it address potential other developments in the area such as residential or business construction.

The County stands to make a LOT of money from a wind turbine farm. That would at least mitigate some of the taxes lost from reduced property values from those located too close to a wind farm. And there is no guarantee that money generated from a wind farm would be spent in that same area. Just because other jurisdictions have had set backs too close, lets not make the same mistake!

Please, please contact your councillor. Phone or email or snail mail.... let them know that you have a concern. Like any body else, Councillors need a little prodding into action. There are a couple who already share our concerns.

I'll even save you the trouble of getting their information! This comes straight off their web site http://www.cumberlandcounty.ns.ca/index.asp >>>>

E D Fullerton Municipal Building

1395 Blair Lake Road

PO Box 428

Amherst, NS

B4H 3Z5

Phone 667 2313 or 1-877-232-1352

FAX 667 1352 or 1-877-232-1352

District 1 Gerald Read, Amherst garead@cumberlandcounty.ns.ca

District 2 John Kellergrew, Amherst jkellegrew@cumberlandcounty.ns.ca

District 3 Keith Hunter, Amherst khunter@cumberlandcounty.ns.ca

District 4 Kathy Langille, Pugwash klangille@cumberlandcounty.ns.ca

District 5 Gerald Langille, Wallace glangille@cumberlandcounty.ns.ca

District 6 Kathy Redmond, Wentworth rkjsredmond@ns.sympatico.ca

District 7 Ralph Welton, Oxford welton@cumberlandcounty.ns.ca

District 8 Ernest Gilbert, Southampton egilbert@cumberlandcounty.ns.ca

District 9 John Reid, River Hebert jreid@cumberlandcounty.ns.ca

District 10 Ratchford Merriam info@cumberlandcounty.ns.ca

Natural Sounds at risk

Natural sounds

What a beautiful day it was today. As I stood in my back yard in the unseasonably warm sun, feeding the chickadees that come to my hand for sunflower seeds, I listened to all the sounds of early winter. The chickadees, blue jays and crows chattered and cawed. Occasionally there was the twitter from American Goldfinches. I could hear the wind very gently whisper through the trees and in the background the constant sound of waves on the beach which is about 400m from me.

I wonder if I will still be able to discern such delightful sounds over the whooshing of wind turbines?

Links

For those who are interested, here are just a few of many available links to get you started on further reading:

The company that proposes a wind farm in Pugwash
http://www.awpc.com/

The turbines they wish to use
http://www.vestas.com/vestas/global/en/Products/Wind_turbines/V82_1_65.htm

The company who is running the three turbines on Higgins Mountain and two at Rodney.
http://www.vectorwindenergy.com
Higgins Mountain is in behind Westchester Station and Rodney is between Springhill and Collingwood. Both are remote locations.

The turbines they are using
http://www.windfair.net/anlagen/vensys_62.html (Germany)

NS Dept Environment and Labour, Higgins Mountain
http://www.gov.ns.ca/enla/ea/higginswind.asp

The effects of noise and shaddow flicker
http://www.lewiswind.com/attachment.php?file=envstmt/volume3/ES_Chapter_19_Noise_and_Shadow_Flicker.pdf&type=1

The effects on wildlife
USA: http://www.defenders.org/habitat/renew/wind.html (a lot of referenced material)
In Spain: http://www.gurelur.org/wind%20power.htm

Light beacons (for Higgins Mountain)
Red (night time use) http://www.orga.nl/datasheet.php?product=21
White (for daylight) http://www.orga.nl/datasheet.php?product=22

The effects on property value
http://www.saveupstateny.com/pv/
http://www.rics.org/NR/rdonlyres/66225A93-840F-49F2-8820-0EBCCC29E8A4/0/Windfarmsfinalreport.pdf

Tourism
You won't find one turbine in any of this tourism information for NS: http://www.novascotialife.com/AbsPage.aspx?siteid=1&lang=1&id=5&title=Nova+Scotia+Travel

http://www.escarpment.org/cgi-bin/Other_PDF_reports/WindPower_Oct.20.2004%20.pdf
http://www.viewsofscotland.org/library/tourism.php
http://www.viewsofscotland.org/library/docs/WITB_survey.pdf

Turbines can burn
http://images.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://www.burnham-on-sea.com/news/2006/wind-shock-2.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.burnham-on-sea.com/news/2006/wind-farm-27-02-06.shtml&h=326&w=402&sz=15&hl=en&start=6&tbnid=hmmYNxB_mKSVhM:&tbnh=101&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dwind%2Bturbine%2Bfarm%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26sa%3DG

Micro wind turbines for personal use
http://news.com.com/Micro+wind+turbines+are+coming+to+town/2100-11398_3-6037539.html

General wind power sites - anti
From Ontario: http://www.aandc.org/research/wind_pec_present.html (TONS of references)
From UK: http://www.countryguardian.net/Index2.htm
from USA: http://www.windaction.org/articles/c45/?startnum=21

General wind power sites - pro
From the UK: http://www.yes2wind.com/faq.html
ANY wind power company

There are THOUSANDS more sites, this is just a sampler.

The first draft for County zoning by-laws will be ready soon. I will report more soon.