It isn't the sound that you hear that is the problem but the infrasound which are frequencies too low for you to hear but is still enough to keep you awake and without sleep, people's health suffers. The infrasound are created by the blades being large enough to intersect winds at different speeds so the bigger the wind turbine, the bigger the infrasound.
However, the issue is with load following. Just because you turned on a light bulb doesn't mean the winds will blow that much stronger, there is no way to control the winds, they can only be forecasted and most of the winds blow at night when the ground heat dissipates into the atmosphere. This means that wind power is only usable for base load power which is the minimum power we expect to always be drawn. This power is normally supplied by coal power stations as it takes days to adjust the power output of a coal power station but coal is the cheapest source of power so the effect of wind power is to sharply increase the cost of power. The wind also doesn't blow constantly, a wind turbine only operates 1/6 of the time, the rest of the power must be amortized by wind turbines in regions where wind patterns are different or by supplemental gas turbine power plants. These gas turbine power plants are small since they are for load following and hence the power is expensive. There is a limit as to how much power can be provided by wind turbines as there always has to be a need for it when it does happen to decide to generate and backup power systems must be built for when the wind isn't blowing.
However, the utilities are allowed to market the full rated capacity of the wind turbine to the public even at higher rates, even if the wind turbine isn't producing any electricity so it's mostly green washing to say so much power is green when only 1/6th of the power is green and only when it may not be needed.
I live in Rhode Island USA where there are many wind turbines. The state recently voted to proceed with more construction of turbines which has resulted in an increase in our utility bill to make specific purchases for wind production. There are no bird problems here since we are a congested coastal area with only pigeons and hawks who eat them. Sea birds like gulls know better, terns and cornrimths don't fly as high as the blades and don't fly into the pillars that hold the blades.
We hear no noise over the other city and coastal sounds.
It seems the smallest state in the Union is big on energy self sufficiency, solar panel are common on homes and geothermal is used at many businesses.
They are costly and unreliable. They harm the environment. You have to clear cut fields where they are installed. They can be dangerous. Near Somerset, PA there is a wind farm. Much of the time there is not enough wind to turn the blades. On one occasion, the brakes on a turbine failed. State police had to clear citizens away for a mile around the turbine. They were afraid the blades might get torn off in a windstorm.
So called "wind farms" are the least efficient form of so called "green" energy there is. Most wind turbines will not generate enough energy to cover the energy used to manufacture them. Politicians like them, because by blotting the landscape with these ugly structures, they can be seen to be "green". Rich landowners like them because they get paid fortunes for having them on their land. Wind turbines are a disaster. They put up energy prices, make the rich richer, and have less than no impact on generating "green" energy.
I have mixed feelings. There are designs that are relatively safe for birds but they are less efficient than the dangerous ones. However, when you compare the effects of a coal-fired power plant with a wind-powered one, the latter does much less damage. The problem is that not everywhere on Earth is suitable for wind power. The Great Plains of North America are one of the best regions. Luckily, most parts of the world are suitable for some sort of alternative energy: wind, solar, tidal, wave, etc.
They are extremely beneficial however they are very unsightly. I mean if they built a wind farm near where i lived i would not be happy as they are noisy and not nice! aha
i think they are a good idea, much cleaner & safer than a nuclear power station. i like them.
I'm doing a project in school about wind turbines and I thought it would be cool to hear what you think about them. Some people don't like them because they are dangerous to birds and are loud but others think they are a great way to provide environmentally friendly energy. What is your opinion?
