Posted on 10/06/2010 8:21:29 AM PDT by La Lydia
VINALHAVEN, Me. — Like nearly all of the residents on this island in Penobscot Bay, Art Lindgren and his wife, Cheryl, celebrated the arrival of three giant wind turbines late last year. That was before they were turned on.“In the first 10 minutes, our jaws dropped to the ground,” Mr. Lindgren said. “Nobody in the area could believe it. They were so loud.”
Now, the Lindgrens, along with a dozen or so neighbors living less than a mile from the $15 million wind facility here, say the industrial whoosh-and-whoop of the 123-foot blades is making life in this otherwise tranquil corner of the island unbearable.
They are among a small but growing number of families and homeowners across the country who say they have learned the hard way that wind power — a clean alternative to electricity from fossil fuels — is not without emissions of its own.
Lawsuits and complaints about turbine noise, vibrations and subsequent lost property value have cropped up in Illinois, Texas, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Massachusetts, among other states.
In one case in DeKalb County, Ill., at least 38 families have sued to have 100 turbines removed from a wind farm there. A judge rejected a motion to dismiss the case in June.
Like the Lindgrens, many of the people complaining the loudest are reluctant converts to the antiwind movement....
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Keith Olbermann is a white noise machine.
Consider the ramifications of going from living in an idyllic Maine island setting; nature, peace and quiet in copious amounts, then one day everything changes.
A constant ‘whoop’ ‘whoop’ ‘whoop’ of the rotor blades, day in, day out.
I know they were originally in favor of it, but I’d be some pissed off too. Reality bites hard.
I have tinnitis, so what’s another annoying noise that won’t go away? </sarc>
Seriously, I can understand completely why people wouldn’t want that noise, and why property values would plummet.
Reality would bite even harder if they didn’t have electricity.
Not in my house.
Have to go about a half mile from our place to see them. Nice to look at from a distance. Wouldn’t especially want to be an islander. Folks up here don’t mess around. They might end up having some kind of unexpected(TM) structural failure.
Expect to see a drop in the seagull population there as well. Plus moving parts like that outdoors in Maine with sea air, ice etc. will be bitch to maintain.
I honestly don’t think noise is much of a factor, flickering shadows from the blades are though - I hate to have them in my house.
No wonder Ted Kennedy didn’t want any of these near Martha’s Vineyard.
I wouldn’t want them near me either. They’re monolithic and other-worldly.
Hate it when the “unexpected” happens./s
They’ve had it in abundance for years. This was a “feel good about saving the planet” decision that has caused many to have regrets.
When I was a kid we lived right alongside a highway that had heavy truck traffic all night long. The house was literally less than 20 feet from the traffic lanes. When we first moved there no one in the family could sleep. 5 years later when my folks bought a house in the country no one could sleep without the traffic noise. I think you can get used to anything.
I don't think Ted objects anymore...
These two are like so many before them...everything has it's drawbacks. Clean energy is no different. They got what they wanted it is just not what they thought it would be. Might do a little more investigating next time!!
I heard it described as a constant FART FART FART FART...
there also seem to be a lot of complaints that there are fewer deer and moose around since these things came online. when I asked them what’s the diff between these windmills and those mole chaser windmills, other than size, they got all defensive about the project.
it stands to reason that if a small windmill repels small rodents, wouldn’t a large windmill have the same effect upon larger species?
From what I’m understanding from the film, this isn’t a steady noise.
We lived a block from I-71 in Cleveland, and right near Hopkins Airport. The traffic noise didn’t wake you up, the occasional low flying airplanes did.
Have you seen the price on those things? Jaw-dropping expensive. Ten times the price of a regular fan or more.
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