Why are people complaining about Wind Turbines?

System
System Posts: 2,511 admin
in Wind Power Generation #1
Hey guys,

So I've been looking up some articles on wind farms and it seems like a lot of the complains about them are neither about the noise or the amount of bird deaths or the appearance of the turbines themselves.

Personally I find them beautifully made and would love to live next to one. Besides, I doubt the noise from the turbines could be any worst than the train line next to my house. Also based on what I've found so far, the pros of using wind energy far out weights the cons that are associated with it.

What are you thoughts on this topic?
[broken(?) spam ad/link deleted. -BB]
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Comments

  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,654 admin
    #2
    Re: Why are people complaining about Wind Turbines?

    Are you looking to install a wind turbine on your property? Do you have enough land to put a 20+ meter tall tower? And enough wind (generally, if you have trees in your area, they should be "flagging" or bent due to prevailing winds).

    Do you have utility power or will this be off-grid/battery based system?

    Small wind tends to be a bit on the unreliable side (not that big wind seems to be any better). Have you researched the turbines that are available in your region of the world (plus there service/support)?

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
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  • niel
    niel Solar Expert Posts: 10,300 ✭✭✭✭
    #3
    Re: Why are people complaining about Wind Turbines?

    welcome to the forum.
    i think blackmagic01 was more or less referring to the larger ones such as those at huge wind farms and not the small wind turbines.

    also being the op was merely looking for an opinion on the pros and cons of turbines i will say i don't mind them big or small as long as they are not right beside me. i wouldn't care about the noise so much either as i have trains near me just like you, but also cars, trucks, and buses. i'm thinking more along the lines of a failure and throwing one of those blades as moving mechanical things can break down or literally break in 2. i guess that is the biggest thing with a turbine is the high maintenance.
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  • 65DegN
    65DegN Solar Expert Posts: 109 ✭✭
    #4
    Re: Why are people complaining about Wind Turbines?

    blackmagic01, I suspect that in general people are adverse to change. Giant wind turbines represent a huge change in the way we get our electricity and a lot of people have not thought through their objections to them.
    They do not kill many birds, something like 2 per machine per year on average. Thats very low when compared to the numbers of birds killed by either windows, cats or vehicles.
    People that payed big money for expensive views don't like the intrusion but this is short term thinking. With coal and nuclear poisoning the planet I think we should be a little more tolerant about views.
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  • waynefromnscanada
    waynefromnscanada Solar Expert Posts: 3,009 ✭✭✭✭
    #5
    Re: Why are people complaining about Wind Turbines?

    And don't forget that any sight of, or sound from a big wind turbine has an effect on most people that is directly related to who's bank account is receiving the money.
    And those against turbines have long ago learned how to use one of the most effective strategies in any protest movement, and that is to ignore logic and focus on stirring up the emotion of the population. Works every time.
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  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,654 admin
    #6
    Re: Why are people complaining about Wind Turbines?

    It appears there was a broken spam/image on the first post.

    Banning poster for now and locking thread...

    -Bill Moderator B.
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
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