Wind Turbine Presentation

INFORMATION MEETING, LISGOOLD COMMUNITY CENTRE, 29TH AUGUST 2012

ARDGLASS WIND TURBINE AWARENESS ACTION GROUP

INTRODUCTION:

STEPHEN DOYLE, ARCHITECT.

I AM ONE OF A NUMBER OF CONCERNED LOCAL RESIDENTS LIVING ADJACENT TO THE PROPOSED WIND TURBINE SITE.

THIS PRESENTATION AIMS TO GIVE YOU INFORMATION ON:

THE PROPOSAL AND THE ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH IT

DISPEL SOME MYTHS PROPAGATED BY WIND DEVELOPERS

HOW IT DOESN’T JUST AFFECT PEOPLE IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT TO THE DEVELOPMENT

HOW YOU CAN HELP



THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT:

11 WIND TURBINES

156.5 METRES TALL TO TOP OF BLADE

2.5 MW PER TURBINE

CONNECTION TO MIDLETON ELECTRICITY STATION, IN BALLYEDMOND



LOCATION:

LANDS BETWEEN PEAFIELD AND ARDGLASS CROSSROADS

AREA KNOWN LOCALLY AS HOGAN’S WOOD.

COILLTE AND FOUR LOCAL LANDOWNERS



VISUAL ISSUES

TURBINES ARE 156.5 METRES / 511 FEET TALL.

LOCATED ON LANDS THAT RISE TO OVER 200 METRES ABOVE SEA LEVEL.

THE LARGEST TURBINES EVER PROPOSED IN CO. CORK

VISIBLE OVER A HUGE AREA OF EAST CORK FROM FERMOY TO THE CITY SUBURBS.

AND ONLY A FEW HUNDRED METRES FROM ADJACENT HOUSES



NOISE ISSUES:

GUIDELINES STATE THAT TURBINE OVER 500M FROM DWELLING IS “UNLIKELY TO BE A SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM”

GUIDELINE IS OUT OF DATE - 2006

NEW RESEARCH INTO THE EFFECT OF LOW FREQUENCY NOISE

AERODYNAMIC NOISE GENERATED BY TURBINES -IMPULSIVE LOW FREQUENCY SOUND – BLADE SWISH



NOISE ISSUES:

BRITISH MEDICAL JOURNAL EDITORIAL – MARCH 2012.

LOW FREQUENCY NOISE IS HARMFUL TO HEALTH.

“CAUSES NAUSEA, HEADACHES, DISTURBED SLEEP AND COGNITIVE AND PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPAIRMENT”.

PEOPLE WITHIN 2KM OF THE TURBINES AFFECTED -ESPECIALLY CHILDREN.



NOISE ISSUES:

RESEARCH IN AUSTRALIA - ADVERSE HEALTH IMPACTS UP TO 3.5KM AWAY FROM TURBINES.

BULLETIN OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY, VOL 31, NO 4:

"There is overwhelming evidence the wind turbines cause serious health problems in nearby residents, usually stress-disorder type diseases, at a nontrivial rate"…….“ current knowledge indicates that there are substantial health risks from existing exposure, and we do not know how to reduce those risks other than by keeping turbines several kilometres away from homes".



NOISE ISSUES:

"ASSESSMENT OF LOW�FREQUENCY NOISE FROM WIND TURBINES IN MAASTRICHT".

"Low frequency sound (infra-sound) is particularly irritating, causing sleep disturbances etc. It actually increases inside the home by the reverberation effect. Levels need to be less than 20dB, it is in this respect very different from normal industrial / ambient noise."

DENMARK PREVIOUSLY IN THE FOREFRONT OF WIND ENERGY, STOPPED PERMITTING ONSHORE TURBINES IN 2010 DUE TO THEIR IMPACT ON PEOPLE.



NOISE ISSUES:

SENATOR JOHN KELLY FROM ROSCOMMON – PRIVATE MEMBERS BILL - “WIND TURBINES BILL 2012”

PROPOSES MINIMUM SETBACK DISTANCES BASED ON HEIGHT OF THE TURBINE – SETBACK FOR A +150M HIGH TURBINE WOULD BE 2KM.

GONE THROUGH SECOND STAGE IN SEANAD

STUCK NOW AS IT WILL STYMIE GOVERNMENT POLICY PROMOTING WIND ENERGY – OPPOSITION FROM THE WIND INDUSTRY



SHADOW FLICKER:

OCCURS WHEN TURBINE IS BETWEEN A HOUSE AND THE SUN AND CASTS A SHADOW

ROTATING BLADES CAUSE THE SHADOW TO FLICK ON AND OFF.

LIKE THE LIGHT IN A ROOM BEING CONSTANTLY TURNED ON AND OFF

CURRENT GUIDELINES - IMPACT ONLY ASSESSED FOR HOUSES WITHIN 2 ROTOR DIAMETER OF TURBINE – 225 METRES IN THIS CASE.



OTHER ISSUES:

IMPACT ON WILDLIFE

BOG BURST AND LANDSLIDES

IMPACTS ON DRAINAGE AND GROUNDWATER

SAFETY – ICE THROW



DEVELOPER’S CLAIMS:

“CLEAN + FREE ENERGY”

THE REALITY:

MUCH MORE COSTLY THAN ENERGY PROVIDED BY CONVENTIONAL POWER STATIONS

WE ALL SUBSIDISE WIND ENERGY PROVIDERS IN OUR ELECTRICITY BILLS



THE REALITY:

WIND TURBINES ONLY START TURNING WHEN WIND SPEEDS REACH 10MPH.

CANNOT OPERATE - WIND SPEEDS ARE OVER 55 MPH.

AVERAGE TURBINE WILL NOT OPERATE FOR 110 DAYS OF THE YEAR.

DUE TO CONSTANT VARIATION IN WIND BACK UP SUPPLY, (OIL + GAS POWER STATIONS) HAVE TO BE READY AT ALL TIMES TO KICK IN – VERY INEFFICIENT.



DEVELOPER’S CLAIMS:

“AVOID EMISSIONS OF MORE THAN 36,000 TONNES OF CO2”

THE REALITY:EVIDENCE OF ONLY MARGINAL IMPROVEMENT TO

EMISSIONS AS ALTERNATIVE SUPPLY MUST RUN AT SAME TIME FOR PERIODS WHEN WIND DOES NOT BLOW.

EVIDENCE THAT AS WIND SUPPLY OVER 1600MW IS ADDED TO THE GRID EMISSIONS ACTUALLY START TO INCREASE.



DEVELOPERS CLAIM:

THE WIND FARM WILL CREATE AND SUSTAIN JOBS LOCALLY

THE REALITY:

TURBINES MANUFACTURED IN MAINLAND EUROPE.

ON SITE CONSTRUCTION – SHORT TERM AND SPECIALISED - NO LOCAL JOBS

MAINTENANCE – DONE REMOTELY - 1 PERSON.



DEVELOPERS CLAIM:

SUPPORT LOCAL ECONOMY THROUGH RATES, LAND RENT AND WAGES

THE REALITY:

NO LOCAL EMPLOYMENT.

ONLY BENEFIT IS TO LANDOWNERS AND DEVELOPER.



DEVELOPERS CLAIM:

THE WIND FARM WILL NOT EFFECT THE VALUE OF YOUR HOME

THE REALITY:

HOUSES IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO WIND TURBINES CAN BECOME UNSELLABLE

EVIDENCE FROM EUROPE AND US THAT HOUSES LOSE AT LEAST 25-30% OF VALUE WHEN NEAR WIND TURBINES.



I LIVE MILES AWAY – IT DOESN’T AFFECT ME.

FIRST LARGE SCALE WIND TURBINES IN EAST CORK

IF GRANTED - PRECEDENT SET – OTHERS WILL FOLLOW.

NORTH AND WEST CORK NOW HAVE 20 WIND FARMS -FIRST ONE CONSTRUCTED IN 1999. NOW OVER 150 TURBINES

ESB CONNECTION TO GRID IN MIDLETON – THIS WILL BE A SEPARATE APPLICATION NO CONTROL OVER ITNO IDEA OF ROUTE



I LIVE MILES AWAY – IT DOESN’T AFFECT ME.

PLANS FOR NEW 440KV TRANSMISSION LINE LINKING KNOCKRAHA TO WEXFORD – PART OF “GRIDLINK” -EIRGRID.

THE LINE WILL BE FED IN PART BY WIND POWER…..

DRAW A STRAIGHT LINE BETWEEN THEM AND YOU GO THROUGH LEAMLARA AND LISGOOLD…….

PUBLIC CONSULTATION ON ROUTE SELECTION HAS STARTED



WHAT NEXT?

THE PLANNING APPLICATION WILL BE LODGED WITH CORK CO. CO. IN THE NEXT 2-3 WEEKS.

AFTER THAT YOU WILL HAVE 5 WEEKS TO LODGE A LETTER TO CORK COUNTY COUNCIL.

LOCAL RESIDENTS WILL BE OBJECTING.

THE MORE LOCAL OPPOSITION THE BETTER.



WHAT CAN I DO?

WE NEED THE LOCAL COMMUNITY TO COME TOGETHER.THIS IS IN ALL OUR INTEREST.

WE ARE ORGANISING A WORKING GROUP TO FORMULATE OUR RESPONSE – CAN YOU HELP?

CHAIRMAN, TREASURER AND SECRETARY

MEDIA WORK



WHAT CAN I DO?

ADD YOUR NAME AND DETAILS TO THE PETITION.

JOIN US ON FACEBOOK – “ARDGLASS WIND TURBINE ACTION AWARENESS GROUP”

EMAIL US AT: [email protected] US ON (087) 6251291

CONTACT LOCAL COUNCILLORS / TDS.

LODGE LETTERS INTO THE COUNTY COUNCIL.



THANK YOU

ANY QUESTIONS?

Wind Turbine Presentation

Documents

Transcript of Wind Turbine Presentation