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Campaign groups, from all parts of the country, WindConf Conference 2010 (From The Northern Echo)
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Campaign groups, from all parts of the country, WindConf Conference 2010
8:38am Monday 8th March 2010
CAMPAIGNERS have called for a national debate about wind farms ahead of the General Election, during a conference in the North-East.
Experts from a range of disciplines issued a number of warnings against wind farms at WindConf Conference 2010, which was held on Saturday.
Representatives from more than 30 campaign groups from all parts of the country, including several from the North-East, were among the 140-strong audience.
Bolam Area Action Group organised the conference at Polam Hall School, Darlington.
No pro-wind farm groups or developers chose to attend or volunteered to speak.
There are at least 40 possible wind farm sites across the North-East and North Yorkshire.
Half of those, including the largest, at Tow Law, County Durham, are already operating or have been approved.
Proposed sites include one at Bolam, two to the north of Barnard Castle, five either in the north-east of Darlington borough, or south County Durham, one at Appleton Wiske and one at Northallerton, North Yorkshire.
An application at a farm at Seamer is under appeal, with four further applications in the north of County Durham either withdrawn or refused.
Trish Pemberton, from the Bolam Area Action Group, said the issues raised would be passed to the National Alliance of Wind Farm Action Groups.
Dr Chris Hanning, a retired NHS sleep disorder specialist, said turbines should not be built within 2km of homes.
He told the conference that noise from turbines can affect sleep, which leads to many other health problems.
Common complaints from turbines include low-frequency humming and either swishing or thumping noises.
Although only one in five wind farms produces the latter problems, known as amplitude modulation, it is unknown how the phenomenon occurs.
Jean and Julian Davis, a couple who were forced to abandon their home in Lincolnshire because of noise, addressed the meeting, accompanied by a recording of the problems.
Mr Davis said: “The first thing we noticed was a lowfrequency noise like a low hum in the house. We couldn’t get away from it, but we didn’t think it was anything to do with the wind farm.
“We thought it was something electrical in the house.
We lost sleep because, once we picked it up, it was like a dripping tap.”
His wife said that many people do not complain about the problems because they want to sell their homes without impacting on values.
Mrs Pemberton, who organised the conference, called it a “David versus Goliath” battle.
She said: “This should be an election issue."
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Your Say YourNorth-East
Super steve, The land that labour ruined says...
9:15am Mon 8 Mar 10
These folks are just Nimbys yet again, when you speak with these types of people they will start of by saying they dont mind wind farms so long as they are suitably sited, then when that argument is defeated they start saying windfarms generally are bad.
Lets not forget that well respected organisations like the WWF, RSPB, FOE, and many governments openly support wind farms.
You would not here a squeek out of these Nimbys about wind farms if their communities were not being asked to host one. How many of these groups and campaigners turned out to object to say the A1 WF or Butterwick WF, or Haswell moor, or High volts, Or Walkway. None because they only come out of the woodwork when its their turn. They are just simple selfish NIMBYS
Crafter, Darlington says...
9:51am Mon 8 Mar 10
Here's a novel idea for those who don't like the look of the current designs : Why not make them look more like the old windmills ? They look nice and who could complain ? A Post Mill design would allow the angle to change to suit the wind direction. On the other hand, what about this 16th century idea ? A horizontal windmill. ( Try the link below.) They look just like a windmill tower with no sails, so they may even be quieter. They work with the wind from any direction and modern aerofoil sections would make them even more efficient. Suprising no one thought about this before. You get free electricity and a nice landmark. They could be designed as towers, follies ( decorative ruins ) windmills and a lot more, to suit the location. They should be cheaper and easier to build and maintain.
There is more than one solution. Being an old design, it would probably be out of patent by now, so anyone can build one. Maybe on a local steel works site ? Just a thought.
Link.
http://www.newcomen.
com/excerpts/horizon
tal_windmills/index.
htm
Crafter, Darlington says...
10:19am Mon 8 Mar 10
Whaup, Berwick says...
1:00pm Mon 8 Mar 10
More unsubstantiated garbage.
Please examine the noise sections of some turbine planning applications.
Many of them have difficulty in meeting the ETSU-R-97 noise guidelines (which are now widely recognised to be outdated and overly generous), developers then have to undertake to run turbines in reduced power mode, often losing 30-40% of output.
This was the case at 'Moorsyde' near Berwick, where the developers would have had difficulty in meeting the thresholds even using reduced output.
This scheme was turned down at appeal: "the Secretary of State has concluded that the significant potential for noise limits to be breached at Moorsyde weighs against the appeal irrespective of any issues in relation to monitoring and enforcement". (SoS's decision letter).
The properties in question were c. 720m from the closest turbines.
Whaup, Berwick says...
1:14pm Mon 8 Mar 10
A headline capacity of 1,588MW was producing just 3MW. National Grid count this as "0.0%".
We have repeatedly seen "0.0%" in the records this winter as we have frozen under settled, continental weather systems.
You can check the figures on the Balancing Mechanism website at: http://www.bmreports
.com/bsp/bsp_home.ht
m
Rick57, Middlewich says...
3:33pm Mon 8 Mar 10
There will be times when energy from wind is low, that's when conventional power kicks in. At other times, wind turbines can produce plenty of energy thus contributing to overall CO2 savings. It's really not difficult to think through.
Interestingly, in its recent annual results, coal-fired Drax Power said profits were down - partly due to the effect of more wind energy being available! Which indicates wind does work!
The Grim North, Coxhoe says...
4:56pm Mon 8 Mar 10
Durham Reiver, Witton Gilbert says...
4:59pm Mon 8 Mar 10
Whaup, Berwick says...
6:44pm Mon 8 Mar 10
Silly comment, there is nothing contradictory in the fact that some turbines cause noise nuisance and the fact that turbines have often failed to produce significant amounts of power during periods of high demand.
The point is, due to their erratic and unpredictable output (National Grid's forecasting accuracy is recorded for all to see on the Balancing Mechanism website), turbines substitute for very little thermal generation. This has already been seen in other countries with large wind capacity.
As the CEO of EON.UK recently pointed: out:
"E.ON said that it could take 50 gigawatts of renewable electricity generation to meet the EU target. But it would require up to 90% of this amount as backup from coal and gas plants to ensure supply when intermittent renewable supplies were not available. That would push Britain's installed power base from the existing 76 gigawatts to 120 gigawatts."
National Grid and even arch-Windy Prof. Sir David King have warned of the costs involved in going for 30% plus from wind.
We are building, effectively, a parallel generating system, plus (at huge expense) rebuilding and strengthening the grid to cope with large, intermittent surges of wind power.
Ofgem has warned that the present policy may cost £200 billion and result in very large rises in electricity bills, resulting in major levels of fuel poverty.
Durham Reiver, Witton Gilbert says...
6:59pm Mon 8 Mar 10
Very well put-a true reflection of the real situation with regard to wind powered electricity generation.
I totally agree with all you said.
Reet, says...
7:37pm Mon 8 Mar 10
Super steve, The land that labour ruined says...
7:46pm Mon 8 Mar 10
This lot are just typical middle class typical nimbys nothing more.
other communities have only recently hosted dozens of dirty noisy colleries for over 100 years with all the blight and misery involved with them.
Now in 2010 other communities are being asked to host some turbines in remote fields around their communities, yet this still whinge.
Super steve, The land that labour ruined says...
7:50pm Mon 8 Mar 10
Durham Reiver, Witton Gilbert says...
9:03pm Mon 8 Mar 10
Once someone starts using the style of language which you are now using it is a sign that they have lost the plot and thus the argument.
Much better to get hold of the facts and base your comments on them.
Whaup, Berwick says...
9:21pm Mon 8 Mar 10
You seem very confused.
The 'Moorsyde' scheme near Berwick was proposed by Your Energy Ltd. not E.ON.
You are wrong about the separation distance from housing of the West Ancroft scheme which you seem to be confusing with 'Moorsyde'. Read the planning application.
The noise figures you mention are complete garbage and bear no relation to the any figures at either scheme.
What does interest me is that you say the landowner involved in the 'Moorsyde' scheme is trying to get the area opencast.
Do tell us where you heard this.
Whaup, Berwick says...
9:58pm Mon 8 Mar 10
I have to say that I am astonished at the level of ignorance you display when you have worked for the developer at West Ancroft and represent yourself as an "Experienced Pro-Wind Campaigner for energy companies".
Rick57, Middlewich says...
8:41am Tue 9 Mar 10
Steanford, Darlington says...
10:07am Wed 10 Mar 10
Durham Reiver, Witton Gilbert says...
11:38am Wed 10 Mar 10
It is not a joke-wind power is useless at providing the level of electricity when it is required and at a sustainable rate.
Nuclear power can do this.
Wind turbines are simply an expensive waste of time and money.
DWilson, Darlington says...
7:19pm Wed 10 Mar 10
ELECTION CALL: Bolam Area Action Group, from left, Arthur Boyle, John Wilson, Susan Boyle, Geoffory Marsh and Trish Pemberton
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Rick57, Middlewich says...
8:51am Mon 8 Mar 10