by jboullion | Dec 15, 2009 | Uncategorized
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 15, 2009
MORE INFORMATION
Michael Vickerman
RENEW Wisconsin
608.255.4044
mvickerman@renewwisconsin.org
Report: Wind Turbines Cause No Human Harm
Consistent with 10-plus years of commercial wind generation operations in Wisconsin, a national report issued today concluded that the sounds produced by wind turbines are not harmful to human health, according to the state’s leading renewable energy advocacy group.
Comprised of medical doctors, audiologists, and acoustical professionals from the United States, Canada, Denmark, and the United Kingdom, the panel of reviewers undertook extensive analysis and discussion of the large body of peer-reviewed literature, specifically with regard to sound coming from wind turbines.
The panel was established by the American Wind Energy Association and the Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA).
“This report corroborates testimony that RENEW presented in the ongoing Glacier Hills Wind Park hearings at the Wisconsin Public Service Commission,” according to Michael Vickerman, executive director of RENEW Wisconsin. In that proceeding, We Energies is seeking approval to construct a 90-turbine 162 megawatt wind park in northeast Columbia County.
“If there were a human health impact with wind generation, why are communities such as Rosiere in Kewaunee County and Montfort in Iowa County so supportive of the wind installations nearby?” commented Vickerman.
“The experience suggests that nearby residents gradually overcome any initial misgivings and accept the turbines for what they are: clean, visible, and environmentally benign producers of renewable energy,” he continued.
According to Dr. Robert J. McCunney, one of the authors of the national multi-disciplinary study and an occupational/environmental medicine physician and research scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), “There is no evidence that the sounds, nor the sub-audible vibrations, emitted by wind turbines have any direct adverse physiological effects on humans.”
Another member of the panel, Dr. Geoff Leventhall, an acoustical consultant on sound and health for more than 40 years, testified during recent regulatory proceedings on the proposed 162 megawatt Glacier Hills Wind Park in Columbia County.
“Attempts to claim that illnesses result from inaudible wind turbine noise do not stand up to simple analyses of the very low forces and pressures produced by the sound from wind turbines,” said Leventhall in sworn testimony.
The national study’s top findings include:
• “The sounds emitted by wind turbines are not unique. There is no reason to believe, based on the levels and frequencies of the sounds, that they could plausibly have direct adverse physiological effects.”
• If sound levels from wind turbines were harmful, it would be impossible to live in a city given the sound levels normally present in urban environments.
• “Sub-audible, low frequency sound and infrasound from wind turbines do not present a risk to human health.”
• “Some people may be annoyed at the presence of sound from wind turbines. Annoyance is not a pathological entity.”
An executive summary of the report can be accessed here (PDF, 81KB). The full report can be accessed here (PDF, 440KB).
by jboullion | Dec 8, 2009 | Uncategorized
From a news release issued by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory:
Home sales prices are very sensitive to the overall quality of the scenic vista from a property, but a view of a wind energy facility does not demonstrably impact sales prices.Over 30,000 megawatts of wind energy capacity are installed across the United States and an increasing number of communities are considering new wind power facilities. Given these developments, there is an urgent need to empirically investigate typical community concerns about wind energy and thereby provide stakeholders involved in the wind project siting process a common base of knowledge. A major new report released today by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory evaluates one of those concerns, and finds that proximity to wind energy facilities does not have a pervasive or widespread adverse effect on the property values of nearby homes.
The new report, funded by the DOE, is based on site visits, data collection, and analysis of almost 7,500 single-family home sales, making it the most comprehensive and data-rich analysis to date on the potential impact of U.S. wind projects on residential property values.
“Neither the view of wind energy facilities nor the distance of the home to those facilities was found to have any consistent, measurable, and significant effect on the selling prices of nearby homes,” says report author Ben Hoen, a consultant to Berkeley Lab. “No matter how we looked at the data, the same result kept coming back – no evidence of widespread impacts.”
An expert witness on real estate voiced the same conclusion during hearings on We Energies proposed Glacier Hills Wind Park.
by jboullion | Dec 7, 2009 | Uncategorized
Adapted from the on-line monitor site of Northern Power Systems:
Wausau East High School was given a very generous gift by the Walter Alexander Foundation to inspire and motivate students to study renewable energy. Wausau School District is the first School District in the state to have a Northwind 100. Lauren Ebbecke, science teacher at WEHS, also received a wind energy opportunity grant from Focus on Energy to fund the turbine. The Northwind provides about 5% of the power for Wausau East High School, saving about $14,000 each year in electricity bills.
The wind turbine will provide students with a unique learning experience. All students (K-12) will have access to real-time data on wind speed and energy output, gaining a practical understanding of renewable energy and power generation.
The site shows the amount of electricity generated since the turbine was installed (4,265 kWh), the avoided amounts of pollutants (sulfer dioxide, carbon dixoxide, and nitrogen oxides), and other environmental measures.
by jboullion | Dec 3, 2009 | Uncategorized
From a news release issued by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory:
Home sales prices are very sensitive to the overall quality of the scenic vista from a property, but a view of a wind energy facility does not demonstrably impact sales prices.Over 30,000 megawatts of wind energy capacity are installed across the United States and an increasing number of communities are considering new wind power facilities. Given these developments, there is an urgent need to empirically investigate typical community concerns about wind energy and thereby provide stakeholders involved in the wind project siting process a common base of knowledge. A major new report released today by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory evaluates one of those concerns, and finds that proximity to wind energy facilities does not have a pervasive or widespread adverse effect on the property values of nearby homes.
The new report, funded by the DOE, is based on site visits, data collection, and analysis of almost 7,500 single-family home sales, making it the most comprehensive and data-rich analysis to date on the potential impact of U.S. wind projects on residential property values.
“Neither the view of wind energy facilities nor the distance of the home to those facilities was found to have any consistent, measurable, and significant effect on the selling prices of nearby homes,” says report author Ben Hoen, a consultant to Berkeley Lab. “No matter how we looked at the data, the same result kept coming back – no evidence of widespread impacts.”
An expert witness on real estate voiced the same conclusion during hearings on We Energies proposed Glacier Hills Wind Park.
by jboullion | Dec 3, 2009 | Uncategorized
From a story by Colby Robertson on WAOW-TV:
WAUSAU (WAOW) — The Wisconsin Public Service Foundation is giving Wausau East $1,000 for the education of the wind turbines outside the high school.
The money is part of the Innovative Educator Grant program that targets areas of science, math and technology.
Lauren Ebbecke, a Science teacher at Wausau East says the money will be used to purchase a 5 year license for a web page titled Public View.
Public View is a web page hosted by Northern Power Systems. It allows anyone to go to this website to see how much power the Northwind 100 is producing, wind speed of the day, and how much energy the Northwind has produced to date.
The web page will have an engaging “dashboard” complete with dials that capture 10 minute energy and wind data, easy to understand metrics and general trend information.
Ebbecke says, “I believe that public view will be an invaluable educational tool for the entire school system and public. Students can access real time data on wind speed and energy output, gaining a practical understanding of renewable energy resources and power generation.”
Also, Monday morning, Focus on Energy will present Wausau East with more grant money. A $100,000 check that will go towards education related to the wind turbines.
