The turbine was installed to provide green energy to the research station in Harrington, north of Charlottetown, but operated for only two days before it was shut down for good.
"We had a call from a neighbour complaining about the noise and that it caused ill health to them," said Mike Hennigar of Agriculture Canada, "so we made the decision to turn it off and further investigate what exactly was going on with it."
The neighbour was complaining of migraine headaches.
Agriculture Canada tested the noise at the foot of the tower with a decibel meter and measured 62 dB in high winds, a level of sound somewhere between a clothes dryer and a washing machine.
The department had an environmental assessment done before the 30-metre high, three-blade turbine was installed. The consultant said the location of the turbine, 300 metres from the road and 400 metres from the nearest house, should not cause any problem.
Hennigar said Agriculture Canada is considering relocating the turbine, which would cost about $120,000, or perhaps selling it. He said it would not be operating again at its current location.
Story from CBC http://www.cbc.ca/canada/prince-edward-island/story/2007/07/27/agriculture-wind.html
23 comments:
Thank God for Agriculture Canada. Can we get them to come shut down AWPC's plans for wind turbines at the Gulf Shore?
So glad to hear that news on CBC Charlottown this morning. Another case of improper location. The Dept. of Agriculture seem to have made an honest, albeit expensive, mistake then did the right thing and considered the local citizens first. They now plan to either re-locate or sell the turbine.
There's an article in the Amherst Daily News today(Company wants more wind power), Announcing 3G Energy Corps. plans to hold open houses in Rodney & Westchester Sta. in early August. to discuss plans to install more turbines in those areas. Vice president of operations Graham Findlay said "We now think of sites not just because of how good the wind is, but with how compatible the use is with other uses and in Higgins Mtn. is quite exceptional because there are so few up there that would be affected by having a turbine nearby." "It's a more sensitive way to develope these things" Good to hear a large company thinking more responsibly. Bravo Mr. Findlay!
The writer in the story of Agriculture Canada shuts down the turbine, singular is referring to a 50 kw size turbine which is the size used to power a farm or small business. Small wind technology is focussing on improving the sounds emitted from small turbines.This technology is 20 years behind large wind technology where sounds emitted are usually not heard because of the ambient sound of the wind.
anonymous
Anyone working around a computer which has noises created by fans/disk drives can attest to the fact they can become very annoying under the mental state of concentration.These sound levels are typically 30 to 45 db mid range frequencies .This can be
more consciously/un-consciously noticeable when the surroundings are quieter as when working/concentrating at home late at night.Newer designs are quieter however something tells you something is running there.Electromagnetic radiation created by these can also be a factor.Some people are better than others in blocking this out.
The migraines and other symptoms (sleep disorders/etc)may be a sign of your brain trying to shut out this continual annoyance??
The loudness of the sound being only part of the problem?
Similar annoyance can come from someones alarm system that won't shut off/barking dogs/dripping taps/etc.
Nature doesn't create continuous vibrations.They are all different and never the sameness.They die out naturally.
We are made to live within nature.Man made machine noise is
totally out of context to that which our health thrives in.
Ones impression of a few minutes of wind turbine noise is not the same as after hours/days of the same.
Just a thought and open to discussion??
I agree with the last posting. Most of the people coming forward to complain about the effects of the wind turbines were the same who had visited turbine sites and did not think they made much noise. This is a tactic the developer uses often... even arranging bus trips, such as here in Pugwash. It is over time that ill affects are felt. First present, then annoying, then sleep or rest altering, then anxiety causing, and so on, until the sufferer finds it unbearable. This does not happen overnight, but nor does it happen years later, it is usually within the first few months of having the turbines present the ill effects are felt.
Regarding the posts about long-term effects from noise/vibration - can someone please help me understand why this is not more of a problem in Europe. Haven't they had 1000's of turbines there for many years? I've talked to several visitors from Europe and they seem to be well accepted there. I'm confused. Do we know something they don't?
Aren't European windfarms greater distances from residential areas than that present Canadian regulations permit?
In the research that I've done I've found the European setback distances vary between 300-500 metres. There were exceptions, for example in one region there was a 1000 metre setback 'from a village'.
where's the info on the lawsuit being dropped, don't you think we should have more info on this. Or is this blog a one way street.
I expect there are several lawsuits in the works, especially those developers who paid subdivision fees and property taxes to now have their lots for sale on hold until confirmation this wind turbine project does not get built here.
Question:
if this gets built and in the future the health effects get recognized by the medical profession and there is a precedent setting legal case somewhere in the world because the courts recognize the healthrisk and the lawsuits start flying around this one and this has to be shut down/relocated/scrapped/people compensated/people moved/etc.-
who pays?
-the taxpayer
-shows up on your power bill
-shows up on your insurance bill
-the developer
-the company that built the turbines
-the investors who put up the dough
-the locals who constructed this
????
"Gulf Shore Preservation Association withdraws lawsuit against county"
hoping to resolve wind farm dispute
DARRELL COLE
The Amherst Daily News
PUGWASH – The Gulf Shore Preservation Association is going to make another attempt to resolve its ongoing dispute with the Municipality of Cumberland over a proposed wind farm project.
Lisa Betts confirmed Friday her organization is discontinuing planned legal action against the county in hopes of reopening the dialog to have the county’s recently implemented siting guidelines amended.
“We really want to resolve this in a non-confrontational manner. We know council was divided on this issue and feel if we can sit down as adults and discuss this that we can come up with something that works for the county, the developer and us,” she said.
Atlantic Wind Power is proposing a wind farm with between 20 and 27 110-metre tall turbines near the Gulf Shore. Soon after the county passed its amended land-use bylaw, members of the association suggested appealing to the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board and/or taking legal action against the county to have the policy overturned.
Betts said the utility board denied the group’s appeal saying it was outside its jurisdiction while she feared continuing with legal action might have ended up being a costly venture.
She feels the threat of legal action was also forcing councillors to stop talking about the issue when all they wanted was a dialog.
With additional wind farms proposed for the Amherst area and expansions planned for both Higgins Mountain and Rodney, Betts feels it would wise for the county to make sure it has it right.
“We’re not opposed to the notion of setting siting requirements but we have to make sure these things aren’t right up against people’s homes,” she said. “Sound is a strange thing. It can pass over someone’s house without affecting them but it will drive their neighbour crazy. We’re talking about people’s health here, we have to make sure this is done right.”
Hi,
I'm adding to this debate for the first time, and my opinion is: SOLUTIONS, PEOPLE! We are smart enough to come up with something that allows wind energy to proliferate in our area without giving anyone a migraine.
You group of concerned citizens who started this blog are doing a good thing by allowing free debate over the topic, but some of these comments appear very much like you are celebrating any time a windfarm is shut down.
After reading all the comments made under the picture of the "proposed windfarm map," the two that really stand out to me are:
1. the person who feared the debate around the windfarm would polarize and divide the community of Pugwash.
2. this excerpt from Lisa Betts' article: "We were told about how the people in Germany and Denmark get along with turbines in close proximity (smaller turbines in smaller numbers and locally owned - not so many big farms as being proposed here). "
This quote is so important because I feel the sentiments would be different if Pugwash owned and controlled the windfarm and the power it generated. I don't trust NS Power or ANY big business when it comes to altruism. The solution, in my mind, is to turn this into a business opportunity for Pugwash.
The secret is: smaller turbines in smaller numbers, and locally owned.
The Ecology Action Centre in Halifax has been lobbying the NS government for awhile now, trying to work out a plan where renewable energy producers (ie: owners of windmills) could sell their energy back to the grid. This could be a great money-making opportunity for all you folks in Pugwash who choose to believe there is no economy in the village besides the cottagers.
Check them out sometime: www.ecologyaction.ca
If the Gulf Shore Association and Anne Murray really do care about change and improvement, they could focus some of their energy toward something substantial, like changing economic policy in N.S. so independent producers of wind energy make money while cutting Green House Gas emissions.
Went to Rodney last night to see a quiet, calm room and some polite people. Some were asking intellegent questions about sound, flicker etc. and were listening respectfully to the answers.
I drove up to the first turbine, shut off my car at 300 meters distance and listened. Winds were low, no leaf rustle and the turbine was completely silent at this distance.
John McManus
you can't hear infrasonic(very low frequency) sound.
your ears don't consciously register this.
health effects are due in part to infrasonic sound.
You know who really makes me sick. Is the person that keeps posting the comments about infrasonic sound causing migraines and now VAD. You sit in the same club that thinks that everything in the world will give you cancer. Heck watching TV, driving your car, riding your tractor, talking on your phone, typing on your keyboard, running your computer, turning on a fan or ac, smoking a cigarette will all kill you or at least give you a headache. Wanh Wanh! Get a life!
By the way Anne Murray will not be able to see these turbines from her tennis court and the machine shut down in PEI is an antiquated piece of crap and they are happy to get rid of this one and in fact are searching for a larger more efficient quiter running machine. Which will be easily found in today's evolving wind turbine market!
To the person who thought setbacks in Europe are greater than those mandated in cumberland County. Now that you know the truth and you realize yu have been deliberatly mislead,
Everyone should take notice. The information being disseminated by this blog and other means is not necessarily correct. Please concider : are youbeing lied to: if so why?
You can only count on wide spread research you do yourself.
Went to Westchester last night. Quiet meeting, interested participants. I visited the turbines and was again struck by how quiet they are. Upwind all turbine sound dissapears in 300 meters. Downwind its between 5 and 600.
John McManus
...for all of you having trouble hearing wind turbines-Shoppers Drug Mart has QTIPS on sale!
...for all of you who would like to hear a wind turbine during your summer vacation -there's a house near the Pubnico windfarm that's empty,very reasonable rent also!
I wish there was Q-Tips for brains, because those of you who who oppose this wind farm for the reasons that you have proclaimed need to have your branins cleaned.
By the way Lisa I know where you live, so keep this S^%t up and you'll meet me personally
Mr and Mrs D Betts write: We regard the last anonymous comment as a criminal threat which should be drawn to the attention of the police. Threats like this to our daughter contribute nothing to the discussion and are just plain nasty.
"Anonymous" comments are never quite completely anonymous. They can be traced if necessary.
Some of the comments posted on this site suggest there are some individuals who will lose incomne opportunities from the land sales/leases/construction effort$ if this project is moved or canned.
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