Debunking ‘Wind Turbine Syndrome’

If we build a bunch of wind turbines near communities, people are going to start dropping to the ground in pain because infrasound is affecting their inner ear. Or, at least, that’s what one New York doctor wants us all to believe. She’s wrong – but the problem is, opponents of wind power are seizing onto her argument to further their own agenda.

Pediatrician Nina Pierpont gathered testimony from a scant 38 people who live near wind turbines in England, Canada and elsewhere about headaches, nausea, insomnia, visual blurring, vertigo and panic attacks. Her website, WindTurbineSyndrome.com, and book of the same name attributes these symptoms to infrasound, a type of low-frequency sound that she claims disrupts the inner-ear vestibular system—the body’s chief tool for balance and spatial orientation.

Thankfully, Grist has examined and debunked Pierpont’s hypothesis:

So here’s what’s wrong with wind-turbine syndrome. First, there’s Pierpont’s method. Her study consisted of 38 people from ten families—by most standards too small to yield conclusive results. All of them self-identified as people who were already experiencing health effects; there was no control group.

Further, acousticians who study the issue say Pierpont fundamentally misunderstands the nature of low-frequency sound. Geoff Leventhall, an English acoustician who retired from the University of London and chairs the European Institute of Noise Control Engineering, agrees that turbines create infrasound that cannot be heard. So do driving with an open window, swinging on a swing set, and even jogging—the slight rise and fall of the head create the effect.

Leventhall describes infrasound as a common phenomenon that isn’t dangerous except at extremely high levels, such as those produced by spacecraft. Infrasound from wind turbines does not approach that level, said Leventhall, who recently flew to Wisconsin to testify at a hearing for the proposed Glacier Hills Wind Park.

Her work isn’t even peer-reviewed, despite her claims – the four-person editorial board that she cites includes herself, her husband and two others—a professor emeritus of literature and an ecologist and psychologist.

Grist has more technical details on why Pierpont is wrong, as well as an analysis on how her claims are affecting the wind industry.

None of this is to say that noise from wind turbines are never an annoyance for people who live near them – but it’s probably safe to say that the effect upon people who live near them is far less dangerous than that of fossil fuel-burning power plants.

Link [Grist]
Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

Radar Could Save Bats from Death by Wind Turbine

In the epic battle of conservationists vs. clean energy advocates, a compromise may have just been reached – at least, in terms of the protection of bats. Scientists have discovered that radar may help keep bats away from wind turbines. Researchers and conservationists have raised concerns in the past about wind turbines inadvertently killing the creatures.

From MSNBC:

For instance, in 2004, over the course of six weeks, roughly 1,764 and 2,900 bats were killed at two wind farms in Pennsylvania and West Virginia, respectively. The bats might not be killed by the wind turbine blades directly, but instead by the sudden drop in air pressure the swinging rotors induce, which in turn cause their lungs to over-expand and burst surrounding blood vessels.

A student at the University of Aberdeen first noticed that bats shied away from radar installations while driving past them. He was holding a bat detector out the window to scope out bat activity on the drive back home from out in the field. (Bat detectors are gadgets that scan for ultrasonic bat calls.)

You might think bats wouldn’t be affected by radar because they use sound waves to navigate in the dark, but researchers installed small portable marine radar units at 20 bat foraging sites inScotland and after monitoring bat presence, found that the radar reduced bat activity by 30 to 40 percent. The radar didn’t keep insects away, suggesting that the radar works as a deterrent, not by chasing away bats’ food.

Scientists hope that they’ll be able to design a radar system that would reduce bat activity near wind turbines by 80 to 90 percent. That would certainly be a big victory for both sides of the conservationists vs. clean energy battle.

Link [MSNBC]
Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

Wind Turbines to Become Part of Paris’ Picturesque Skyline

The historic skyline of Paris will soon look a bit different after the addition of a few small wind turbines, which will be installed to take advantage of strong winds that pass through such high points as Montmartre.

From Reuters:

“We are not talking of big models like those we see in the countryside. We are in Paris and we musn’t disfigure the landscape,” Denis Baupin, a deputy mayor in charge of sustainable development, told Le Parisien newspaper.

The turbines in Paris will produce electricity which will be sold to the state-owned utility EDF or directly used in the buildings where they will be installed, Baupin said.

Baupin said the city’s authorities were also studying setting up water turbines under the capital’s bridges of the Seine river.

“The first tests will start in 2011 or 2012,” he said.

With Parisians so eager to preserve the beauty of their city, you can bet that this will end up a great example of how wind power can be implemented in a subtle way. If it works in Paris, it can work in virtually any other city in the world that gets a reasonable amount of wind – and that will be a great way to put a sock in the mouths of NIMBY complainers.

Link [Reuters]
Photo credit: Flickr user Rahims

Generating Wind Power in Your Backyard

Ever wonder if you could generate wind power in your own backyard? You don’t have to have a ton of land or extremely windy conditions to benefit from a wind turbine. Smaller models around 15 feet in diameter perched atop a 40- to 100-foot tower are popping up at homes, farms and businesses all over the country. Green Living Ideas gives us the scoop on how to determine whether wind power is right for your property, and how to get started.

From Green Living Ideas:

Many models of residential-scale wind turbines can be connected to the electric grid so that a consumer has power even when the wind isn’t blowing.  Grid interconnection also means that if the consumer doesn’t use as much electricity as the turbine produces, the excess can be fed backwards into the grid for credit on the consumer’s monthly electric bill.

Small wind turbines are also popular choices for people who live in remote locations, away from the electric grid.  Uses for these off-the-grid turbines include powering cabins, pumping water on farms, and even powering accessories on sailboats.  For these applications, the turbine charges batteries to supply electricity even when the wind doesn’t blow.

Small wind systems are most practical for individuals or businesses located in areas with above-average wind speeds, and with at least half an acre of open land to allow the wind to “stretch its legs.”  Regions where electricity prices are also especially high make small wind systems an attractive investment.

Green Living Ideas also offers information about pricing, zoning, and preparing neighbors who might be opposed to the idea.

For those who can afford the initial expense, wind power is a great way to generate your own energy and lessen your dependence on fossil fuels, and hopefully it will become more affordable through tax credits in the future.

Link [Green Living Ideas]
Photo credit: Symscape.com

UK Wind Turbine Destroyed, Locals Claim UFO Did It

A 290-foot turbine was mysteriously mangled overnight on Sunday near Louth in Linconshire, United Kingdom with local residents claiming to have seen an octopus-like UFO. Experts have ruled out most of the more believable explanations, like a meteor or lightning strike.

Dozens of people in the area say they saw bright flashing spheres in the sky that night, with one woman claiming that she saw an object fly near the wind farm. Others described the lights as being linked to ‘tentacles’.

From The Telegraph:

Dorothy Willows, who lives a mile and a half from the crash site, said: “The lights were moving across the sky towards the wind farm. Then I saw a low flying object. It was skimming across the sky towards the turbines.”

Later on Sunday night, one of a turbine’s 65ft blades was ripped off and another severely damaged.

The Health and Safety Executive described the damage as a “unique incident”, and the energy firm Ecotricity which owns the 20-turbine site say it has no explanation.

“We are struggling to find an answer, yes, and it has been quite interesting to read the reports in the press about what people have seen,” Dale Vince from the company told BBC Radio Four’s Today programme..

“It sounds unbelievable but actually we don’t have any explanation at the moment. Give us a few days and if there is a rational explanation we will find it.”

UFO enthusiasts are calling for testing on the damaged parts to uncover the cause of the collision, hoping to find evidence of an alien encounter. Others suspect that the turbine was damaged due to a buildup of ice on the blades.

Well, I think it’s obvious what happened here. Extraterrestrials are getting impatient that we haven’t destroyed ourselves yet, and wind turbines are evidence that we might be sticking around a while longer. So, they’re trying the nonviolent approach by helping us along. Bye bye wind turbines, bye bye human race.

Link [The Telegraph]
Photo credit: The Telegraph + The Daily Mail

Wind Power Gaining Popularity in New York City

New York City is warming up to wind power, as evidenced by the small turbines that are popping up on the rooftops of apartment buildings. The small turbines typically look like table fans rather than the towering white wind turbines seen in large open spaces. These mini turbines supply power directly to homes without first sending it through a utility company’s lines.

From The New York Times:

One major sticking point in the city is that densely packed buildings tend to scatter breezes, making it tough to capture steady gusts. Although this and other kinks need to be addressed before the widespread rollout of small turbines is possible, there are signs of gains.

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg stoked excitement among wind-power advocates in August when he announced that he supported putting turbines atop city skyscrapers.

Of the 60 proposals that were later submitted to the city under a request for renewable-energy projects, the majority were wind related, including technologies for apartment-mounted machines, said Jen Becker, a vice president of the New York City Economic Development Corporation. “It’s definitely something we are looking at seriously,” she said.

The Blue Sea Development Company is building a five-story brick apartment building in the Melrose section of South Bronx that wil be partially powered by 10 1-kilowatt turbines. The turbines cost about $10,000 each and are expected to halve the annual utility bill for the common spaces. The project is designed as affordable housing, with montly rents ranging between $750-$1,089.

The state is offering a break for those who want to install wind turbines by covering half of initial expenses. A provision in the Troubled Assets Relief Program bailout bill also created a national one-time 30% tax credit for the installation costs for homeowners.

It’s nice to see NYC thinking outside the box. It definitely doesn’t seem like the ideal place for wind energy to take off, but more power to them for making it work.

Link [The New York Times]

Dubai Reveals Plans for Green Skyscraper Shaped Like a Wind Turbine

When it comes to eco-skyscrapers, Dubai’s definitely at the front of the pack, revealing plans for a new one practically once a month. Everything that’s been coming out of Dubai has been grand, innovative, and visually breathtaking, so it’s no surprise that the latest one – Anara Tower – is so spectacular.  It’s designed by Atkins Designs Studio and developed by Tameer Holding Investment, and will stand 2,150 feet tall. The developers are aiming for LEED silver certification.

From Inhabitat:

Shaped like super-massive wind turbine, Anara Tower is a mixed-use high-rise that will features residences, offices, retail spaces, a hotel, and a world-class art gallery. The 125 story structure will incorporate sky gardens every 27 floors and will boast a luxury restaurant situated within the glossy glass capsule in the center of the tower’s peak. Atkins Design Studio is aiming to maximize the skyscraper’s efficiency by incorporating water and energy efficiency strategies and potentially installing renewable sources of energy.

Construction is set to begin in 2009, so we’re not too far away from seeing it completed.

These designs coming out of Dubai make me feel like I’m looking into a portal at the future of green architecture. Everything seems so advanced. I guess that’s one perk of having so many billionaires eager to be at the forefront of the country’s environmental movement.

Link [Inhabitat]

Basejumpers Find Alternate Use for Wind Turbines

Thrillseekers have a new way to get their kicks: jumping off wind turbines. Since base jumpers are always looking for higher and more interesting things to jump off of, wind turbines provide an exciting new challenge. Check out the green badassery for yourself in this video, in which base jumpers climb to the top of some freaky high turbines, jump off and try to land on a target.  Amazing.

Link [Solar Energy Dream]

Who’s Who in Green: William Kamkwamba

William Kamkwamba, at fourteen years old, was facing a situation that most Americans could never dream of: his parents could no longer afford to continue his schooling, so he was frced to drop out. His sister had developed a nasty cough from the smoking paraffin candles used to light his family’s home in a Malawian village without electricity. William, one of seven children, was frustrated at the idea of being unable to continue his education, to learn things that could enable him to help his family.

So, William took things into his own hands. With the help of his mentor, Dr. Hartford Mchazime and the Malawi Teacher Training Authority (USAID), William educated himself, reading every book he could get his hands on. One of those books happened to be Using Energy by Mary Atwater, and it inspired him to take on an extremely ambitious project: building a bare-bones but fully-functioning windmill out of scrap materials like salvaged broken pipes, wooden poles, old shoes, copper wire and his father’s old bicycle. He knew that a windmill could provide electricity for his house, eliminating the need for those unhealthy, hard-to-come-by candles.

He cut PVC pipes, heated them and pounded them flat to serve as blades. When a bicycle chain didn’t work the way he wanted it to, he replaced it with an old fan belt from a car. William’s makeshift invention provided enough electricity to power his room, but that wasn’t enough – so he set out to improve it.

He took an old barrel to a tinsmith and had it turned into new, more efficient blades. He took parts from his father’s bike to increase the gear ratio, which helped turn the turbine faster and boost power. He even made electrical components from scratch, fabricating a light switch from plastic pipe and rubber from shoes. Soon, his windmill was supplying power for his family’s entire house as well as charging local cell phones and a car battery for backup power.

Once the word got out about what William had done, he was invited to become a fellow at TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) GLOBAL 2007. TED seeks to spread innovative ideas that have the power to change attitudes, lives and ultimately, the world. TED gave William a computer – which he now powers with his windmill.

Watch William discuss how he built his windmill in this video clip:

William is now using his wind-powered energy to reach out to people in his community. He designed a radio station that transmits to an audience within 100 square meters, and hopes to expand that to 20 miles so he can broadcast messages to his fellow Africans about not contracting HIV.

But he’s not stopping there. William’s next project is building a larger windmill that can help pump water and irrigate his family’s vegetable garden. He hopes to eventually be able to irrigate all of the crops in his village. Through his fellowship with TED, William has received enough support to help him improve his inventions by incorporating solar energy. He has also received enough donations to fund mentorships and his education.

William Kamwkamba’s inspiring story has touched people all over the globe, demonstrating the power of creativity and persistence in the face of a profound lack of resources. You can follow William’s journey at his Malawi Windmill blog, where he keeps readers updated on his inventions and their impact on his community as well as his own life.

William Kamkwamba’s Green Score: 20,893

Photo credit: MyHero.com

Lego Windmill on eBay for Just $1700

Sure, the limited edition Lego windmill made for wind company Vestas is cool.  It’s the kind of thing we wish they made in large quantities for the public so that kids can play with them, but alas, since they’re limited edition they’re hard to get a hold of.  I guess that’s why they’re selling on eBay with opening bids as high as $1900.   So far, no one’s biting on the higher priced auctions, but one auction with 8 bids is up to $510.  Seems crazy, considering that some people have built themselves the real thing for less than that, and the Lego version doesn’t produce energy – it runs on batteries! But, collectors are willing to pony up a lot of cash for limited edition.

Link [Gizmodo] + [eBay]

Biggest Wind Turbines in the World Being Built in Colorado

The Bush administration might be doing everything in its power to derail the environmental movement, but that’s not stopping our country from moving right along in their efforts to produce wind turbines.  And not just any wind turbines – the biggest wind turbines in the world.  Billions of dollars of private equity have been dedicated to new renewable energy technology including solar and wind.

Trend Hunter magazine’s photo of a piece of one of these wind turbines, currently being built in Colorado, resembles a giant gray whale.  Holy bigass turbine!  Like Trend Hunter, we can’t wait until Obama settles into the Oval Office and starts funneling money into green tech.  There’s a whole wide world of clean, environmentally friendly technology out there just waiting to be developed.

Link [Trend Hunter]

Crazy People Base Jumping Off Wind Turbines

Base jumping off wind turbines – I guess it was bound to happen. While some people might think this is totally awesome – dare I say, rad – it makes me want to cling to the ground for dear life. The idea of standing on the top of a wind turbine is enough to squeeze my stomach into painful little knots, let alone the idea of actually jumping off one.

That, my friends, takes some serious balls!

Link [Groovy Green] + [YouTube]

Special Edition Wind Turbine Lego Kit for Vestas

Legos are just about the coolest kid toy ever. One set of Legos lasts virtually forever, and you can make just about anything you can think of out of them. So, of course we love the limited edition set Lego made for Vestas, a wind energy company. The turbine actually spins (but, alas, from battery power). Groovy Green thinks it would be cool to use it to send a message to your zoning board or homeowner’s association:

Town zoning board getting you down? Anti-wind organizations befuddling you with their concerns? Feeling the ache of not being able to install your own personal turbine? Well, now you can shut out the rest of the world and focus on this great new kit from Lego called “The Vestas Windmill Kit”.

Though this set is for Vestas promotional use only and not for sale, we’d love to see more kids’ toys with environmental themes like this. While a lot of fusty old folks afraid of change are fighting the green movement, kids will readily accept it as part of their lives, and that is indeed exciting.

Link [Groovy Green]

Danish Isle Runs Completely on Renewable Energy

Imagine going from gluttonous consumption of fossil fuels to completely running on renewable energy within a decade. Sounds great, but it simply can’t be done. I mean, that’s what we’ve been told for years.

Oh, wait. It can. Look at that. Huh.

From The New Yorker, via Gizmodo:

For the past decade or so, Samsø has been the site of an unlikely social movement. When it began, in the late nineteen-nineties, the island’s forty-three hundred inhabitants had what might be described as a conventional attitude toward energy: as long as it continued to arrive, they weren’t much interested in it. Most Samsingers heated their houses with oil, which was brought in on tankers. They used electricity imported from the mainland via cable, much of which was generated by burning coal. As a result, each Samsinger put into the atmosphere, on average, nearly eleven tons of carbon dioxide annually.

Then, quite deliberately, the residents of the island set about changing this. They formed energy coöperatives and organized seminars on wind power. They removed their furnaces and replaced them with heat pumps. By 2001, fossil-fuel use on Samsø had been cut in half. By 2003, instead of importing electricity, the island was exporting it, and by 2005 it was producing from renewable sources more energy than it was using.

This is a great example for the rest of the world – what can be done when a community decides to come together to change for the better. It CAN be done, and sooner than most people think. So many people view a shift from fossil fuels to alternative energies as such a huge change that it will be incredibly difficult and even painful to accomplish. It will be tough, sure, but isn’t it worth it? And looking at the beautiful pictures of Samsø, I don’t think anyone can say that the scenery has suffered.

Link [The New Yorker] via [Gizmodo]
Photo credit: Joachim Ladefoged

Queen Elizabeth Outfits Her Crib with the World’s Largest Wind Turbine

Move over, Prince Charles. Yo mamma wants the world to know she’s the baddest eco bitch in town. Queen Elizabeth’s property company, the Crown Estate, has purchased the largest wind turbine in the world. This baby is 7.5 megawatts, dwarfing even the huge 1.5 megawatt monsters that can currently be seen around the world.

Ecorazzi has it:

“The Estate, which owns most of the seabed off Britain’s shores, regularly leases out its land to wind farm projects but has never invested in the turbines. With a capacity of 7.5 megawatts, the Crown has gone for the biggest yet. ‘This is not something we’ve ever done before and I think it will raise quite a few eyebrows,’ Ben Barton, the company’s offshore manager for wind farms said.”

The turbine is expected to be fully operational by 2010 — with all the power generated sold to the national grid and the Queen’s iPod. Seriously. We hear she loves David Cook but would “love to have David Archuleta over for dinner.”

The Queen’s gone green! We love it. Hopefully all you Brits will appreciate this move and encourage more of the same. The Queen may not have any political power, but she can certainly influence the masses. What’s good enough for royalty is surely good enough for the serfs, eh?

Link [Ecorazzi]
Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons