Turbines turn into headache for Vinalhaven

[WriteDown]

VINALHAVEN — Cheryl Lindgren was excited when the three wind turbines down the road began turning in November, but within days her excitement turned to disbelief. The sound at her house, a half-mile or so away, wasn't what she had expected. As she sat reading in her quiet living room, she could detect a repetitive "whump, whump" coming from outside.

"I can feel this sound," she recalled thinking. "It's going right through me. I thought, 'Is this what's it's going to be like for the rest of my life?'"

Dedicated two months ago with great fanfare, the Fox Islands Wind Project is producing plenty of power, but also, a sense of shock among some neighbors. They say the noise, which varies with wind speed and direction, ranges from mildly annoying to so intrusive that it disturbs their sleep. And they say they lament losing the subtle silence they cherish living in the middle of Penobscot Bay -- the muffled crash of surf on the ledges and the whisper of falling snow.

The folks living around North Haven Road aren't anti-wind activists. Lindgren and her husband, Art, supported the project as members of the local electric co-op.

But now the Lindgrens are discovering what residents in other communities, including Mars Hill and Freedom, have learned: When large wind turbines are erected, some people living near them will find their lives disrupted.

That wasn't supposed to happen here. Co-op members on Vinalhaven and in neighboring North Haven endorsed the $15 million project as a way to hold down high electric rates and maintain a sustainable community. The developer, backed by the Rockland-based Island Institute, saw it as a model for other offshore towns....

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=311094&ac=PHnws



Anybody actually live near wind turbines?

[Brickbat]

1. I've seen a lot of stories like this. And having stood in wind farms, I can see how this would be

disruptive. Some compare it to an almost sub-sonic feeling that makes them feel sick.

[WriteDown]

2. I've flown on prop planes for long runs and that low hum can really get to you after a while...

I wonder if it is similar.

[Brickbat]

3. Mr. Brickbat is a train engineer and he says one of the hardest parts of the job is getting used to

the noise and vibration of sitting in a giant diesel engine for 10-12 hours at a stretch. I'm sure it affects the body in ways we don't understand.

[WriteDown]

4. In this case I wonder how it affectst the local fauna too. nt

[Arctic Dave]

5. I've never lived next to one but have been around them.

The do make whoop, whoop , whoop sound much like a helicopter during decent, only slower.

To be fair though living next to a turbine power plant IMHO is far noisier. It is like living next to a tarmac.

Also, for the other poster, continued sound and vibration does have a physiological effect on the body. Not sure how this would compare to an industrial facility.

[dbonds]

6. Wonder if some noise cancelers near the community could help?

Some sub-woofers putting out the inverse sound of the windmills.

[WriteDown]

7. But how much power would you need for those?

:shrug:

[dbonds]

8. It would use some, but you don't cancel the complete sound field...

Just the area where people live. If it reduces the net output of the windmill a percentage point or two that is better than having to take them down.

[Vincardog]

9. I live i the middle of a wind farm. The noise is nothing to get excited about. A crazy relative

insists that the noise is worrying her but she listens to Rush Limpballs and faux Snewz

[WriteDown]

12. I think it depends on the person...

nails on a chalkboard never bothered me.

[FarCenter]

10. Wind turbines operate at about 10 revolutions per minute

What kind of noise are they creating?

With 3 blades, at 10 rpm, the fundamental frequency of the blades is 0.5 Hz, which is far below anything you can hear.

[WriteDown]

11. Even dragged a heavy block of medal across a floor slowly...

Its that deep sound at a constant rate which can cause insanity.