Category Archives: Direct Effects

Cost Benefit, Direct Effects, Turbines & Property Devalue

Electricity Costs Kills Belgium Hall

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You Wynne We Lose. Sign outside Delhi Belgium Hall

Electricity Costs bring down Delhi Community Hall

It is claimed wind projects bring many economic benefits in a green economy to society but in reality they are killing the economic viability for many community groups. Expensive renewable energy contracts are a driving force pointed at as responsible for escalating the costs of electricity beyond sustainability.  Green ideology tearing apart the binding fabric of our communities one after another and another.

Club gives tip of the hat to Premier Wynne

By Monte Sonnenberg, Simcoe Reformer Thursday, December 29, 2016 6:15:22 EST PM

There will be no more banquets, wedding receptions, concerts, trade shows or public meetings at the Delhi Belgian Hall for the foreseeable future.

However, the Shields & Friends Lounge in the lower level of the sprawling complex will continue receiving patrons and serving drinks into 2017.

That according to the bar’s manager Kim Starling. Starling was hired in October soon after the Belgian Club announced it was pondering its future in the face of punishing utility bills and declining rentals.

In late October, the club executive announced that its financial problems were insurmountable and that the historic property would be sold.

They weren’t bluffing. Today, a sign is posted out front advertising the 30,000-square-foot building for sale. The asking price, according to the realtor’s website, is $899,000.

There is also a second sign out front expressing the club’s bitterness over skyrocketing electricity prices and what that has done to the hall’s viability as a community centre.

The sign says: “Hydro One 2016: $49,559. You Wynne, We Lose.”

Some of the hall’s monthly hydro bills this year were as high as $5,700. Even with 1,200 members, the club concluded it can’t go on carrying a burden like this.

The timing of the hydro whammy is especially unfortunate. The hall’s heating-ventilation-air conditioning system needs to be replaced. The building’s electrical system also needs updating.

If the club finds a buyer, Starling hopes the hall can continue forward in its current format.

“That would be nice,” she said Friday. “That’s how I’d like it to be. I’d hate to see the building go.”

In its promotional literature, realtor CBRE Ltd. of London says the 1.78-acre package has a lot of potential uses.

CBRE notes that 360 James Street has a service commercial zoning. In Norfolk County, this allows for a wide range of commercial applications.

The property, CBRE adds, comes with a “large lot with plenty of excess land for parking or further development.”

The Belgian Hall was founded in 1948 as a meeting place for the wave of Belgian families that settled in this part of southern Ontario after the Second World War. The hall earned a reputation in southern Ontario in the 1970s as a premier showcase for up-and-coming rock bands.

Acts that performed at the Belgian Hall include Ronnie Hawkins, Rush, Lighthouse, The Stampeders, April Wine, Max Webster, Blood, Sweat & Tears, and Bachman-Turner Overdrive.

MSonnenberg@postmedia.com

READ AT: http://www.simcoereformer.ca/2016/12/29/club-gives-tip-of-the-hat-to-premier-wynne

Direct Effects, Health, Noise

Wind Turbine Noise Conference 2017

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noise-sensitive

Noise made by industrial wind turbines will be generating a lot of discussion at the upcoming international conference May 2017 in Rotterdam.

noise-wave

Wind Turbine Noise 2017

Abstracts Accepted 2017

Here is a list of abstracts submitted for WTN 2017 in alphabetical order of lead author.

Presentations will be either oral, poster or part of a workshop session. The type of presentation will be notified when the full paper is accepted.

You can also download a PDF here

Managing tonality during the planning, design and construction of a wind farm. Justin Adcock, Christophe Delaire, Daniel Griffin, Alex Morabito.

Noise measurement on a Small Wind Turbine preliminary results. Mariano Amadio.

Trailing edge serrations – effect of their flap angle on flow and acoustics. Carlos Arce León, Roberto Merino-Martínez, Daniele Ragni, Stefan Pröbsting, Francesco Avallone, Ashish Singh, Jesper Madsen.

An investigation into the effect of wind shear on the noise emission of modern wind turbines. Payam Ashtiani, Duncan Halstead.

Airfoil noise reduction using active flow control. Mahdi Azarpeyvand, Mate Szoke, Weam Elsahhar, Yannick Mayer.

Investigation of Amplitude Modulation Noise with a Fully Coupled Noise Source and Propagation Model. Emre Barlas, Wei Jun Zhu, Wen Zhong Shen, Kaya Dag, Patrick Moriarty.

Windfarm noise assessment methodologies comparison: UNI 11143-7 and ISPRA guidelines. Different approaches, results, features. Andrea Bartolazzi, Michela Spizzichino.

Pre-construction Site Prediction Tool for Wind Farm AM – Do We Now Know Enough?. Jeremy Bass, Andrew Birchby.

Wind turbine noise – an overview of current knowledge and perspectives. Andrea Bauerdorff, Steffen Körper.

Coupled wind turbine noise generation and propagation – A numerical study. Franck Bertagnolio.

Wind turbine noise prediction using Olive Tree Lab. Alexis BIGOT, Panos ECONOMOU, Costas ECONOMOU.

The influence of aero-elastic coupling on rotor sound predictions. Remy Binois, Thomas Klemme, Sascha Erbsloeh.

Annual analysis of sound propagation from a boreal wind park. Karl Bolin, Ilkka Karasalo, Esbjörn Olsson.

Developing and presenting a unique and innovative acoustic installation template to offer a spatial, frequency and calibrated reproduction of a wind turbine noise to the public.. Dominique Bollinger, Xavier Falourd, Lukas Rohr.

Efficient tools for assessing the emergence, audibility and masking potential of wind turbine noise by background noise. Dominique Bollinger, Xavier Falourd, Romain Feuz, Patrick Marmaroli.

An Investigation into Short-Term Fluctuations in Amplitude Modulation of Wind Turbine Noise. Ian Bonsma, Nathan Gara, Brian Howe, Nick McCabe.

Wind turbine noise measurement in controlled conditions. Koen Boorsma, J.G. Schepers.

Use of the Acoustic Camera to accurately localise wind turbine noise soiurces and their Doppler shift. Stuart Bradley, Michael Kerscher,, Torben Mikkelsen.

The Challenges and Benefits of Long-Term Noise Monitoring of Wind Farm Sites. Ethan Brush, James Barnes, Marc Newmark, William Yoder.

Characterizing the acoustic noise from wind turbines by using the divergence of the sound pressure in the ambient. Valentin Buzduga, Alexandru Buzduga.

An Experimental Parametric Study of Airfoil Trailing Edge Serrations. Thomas H. CAROLUS, Farhan A. MANEGAR (Univ Siegen) ; Elodie THOUANT (ECL) ; Kevin VOLKMER (Univ Siegen) ; Isabelle SCHMICH-YAMANE (EDF).

A scoping study on assessment practices for noise impacts from renewable technologies in Scotland. Matthew Cassidy, Susanne Underwood (Land Use Consultants), Nick James (Land Use Consultants). .

Numerical Prediction of DU96 Airfoil Self Noise using Detached Eddy Simulation. Kenan Cengiz, Yusuf Özyörük.

Application of the UK IOA Method for Rating Amplitude Modulation. David Coles, Tom Levet, Matthew Cand.

Sound propagating from wind turbines in winter conditions. Kristina Conrady, Anna Sjöblom, Conny Larsson.

Variation in wind turbine sound power measurements. Jon Cooper, Tom Evans.

Using long term monitoring for noise assessment of wind farms. Eugène de Beer. . Australian Criteria for C-weighted Wind Farm Noise Levels. Christophe Delaire, Justin Adcock, Daniel Griffin, Lachlan Deen.

The different evaluation-methods of the wind farm noise in Switzerland – computer models/in-situ measurements. Victor Desarnaulds, Ronan Fécelier, Dimitri Magnin.

Comparison of Sound Propagation Models for Offshore Wind Farms. Guangsheng (Sam) Du, A.D. Lightstone, Joseph Doran.

Perceptual aspects of wind-turbine noise. Pierre Dutilleux.

Wind turbine noise assessment by regression tree analysis.. David Ecotière.

Wind turbine noise at neighbor dwellings, calculations versus measurements.. Rune Egedal, Lars Sommer Søndergaard, Morten Bording Hansen.

Wind turbine noise: Sound power level measurements 3.0. Leon Eilders, Eugène de Beer.

Vertical directivity observations based on statistics of low frequency tonal components measured at downwind and upwind locations.. Xavier Falourd, Dominique Bollinger, Romain Feuz, Patrick Marmaroli.

Effects of Individual Pitch Control on Amplitude Modulated Noise. Chris Feist, Matt Lueker, Bill Herb, Peter Seiler, Daniel Ossmann.

Modeling and localizing low frequency noise of a wind turbine using an array of acoustic vector sensors. Daniel Fernandez Comesaña, Krishnaprasad Ramamohan and David Perez Cabo.

Investigation of turbulence interaction noise generated in wake operation. Andreas Fischer, Helge Aagaard Madsen, Franck Bertagnolio.

Assessment of WTN by separating residual noise without the farm shoutdown. Luca Fredianelli, Paolo Gallo, Gaetano Licitra, Diego Palazzuoli, Stefano Carpita.

Comparison of the IOA method and Japanese F-S method for quantitative assessment of amplitude modulation of wind turbine noise – A study based on the field measurement results in Japan. Akinori Fukushima, Hideki Tachibana.

Low-frequency micro-seismic radiation by wind turbines and it’s interaction with acoustic noise emission. Theodore V. Gortsas, Zieger, Toni; Triantafyllidis, Theodore; Kudella, Peter; Ritter, Joachim; Polyzos, Demosthenes

Comparison of Measured and Modelled Wind Turbine Noise in Indian Terrain. ARIVUKKODI GUNASEKARAN, Dr.S.Gomathinayagam, Dr. S.Kanmani.

An investigation into correlation between stron wind turbine amplitude modulation and environmental conditions. Duncan Halstead, Payam Ashtiani, Adam Suban-Loewen.

The occurrence of nocturnal wind farm rumbling noise. Kristy L Hansen, Branko Zajamsek, Colin H. Hansen.

Annoyance caused by amplitude modulated wind turbine noise, a study carried out with real far- field recordings of amplitude modulation. Morten Hansen, To be determined.

LOW FREQUENCY TONES AND BUILDING ELEMENTS. Malcolm Hayes.

Human response to wind turbine noise: infrasound and amplitude modulation. William Herb, Peggy Nelson, William Herb, Matt Lueker, Jeff Marr, Noah Stone, John Wachtler.

Low-frequency noise incl. infrasound from wind turbines and other sources. Lorenz Herrmann, U. Ratzel, O. Bayer, K.-G. Krapf, M. Hoffmann, J. Blaul, C. Mehnert.

Predicted and Measured Trailing-Edge Noise Emission for a 2.3 MW Wind Turbine. Cordula Hornung, Christoph Scheit, Christian F. Napierala, Matthias Arnold, Andree Altmikus, Thorsten Lutz.

The Institute of Acoustics Reference Method for Rating Amplitude Modulation. Gavin Irvine. .

Epidemiological Study on Long-Term Health Effect of Low-Frequency Noise Produced by Wind Power Stations in Japan. TATSUYA ISHITAKE, KUNIO HARA, YOSHITAKA MORIMATSU, TATSUHIKO KUBO, YOSHIHISA FUJINO.

Partial masking and the perception of wind turbine noise in ambient sounds. Anders Johansson, Karl Bolin.

Wind Turbine Rotor Noise Prediction and Reduction for Low Noise Rotor Design. Mohammad Kamruzzaman, Jeremy Hurault, Kaj Dam Madsen.

Comparison of measured and calculated noise levels in far distances of wind turbines. Ulf Kock, Arno Trautsch.

International Legislation and Regulations for Wind Turbine Shadow Flicker Impact. Erik Koppen, Mahesh Gunuru.

Cotton Farm Wind Farm long term community noise monitoring 3 years on: testing compliance and AM control methods.. Sarah Large, Stigwood, Mike; Stigwood, Duncan.

Long-term experimental campaign on an operating wind turbine for trailing edge serrations verification. Irene Lauret-Ducosson, Albert ALARCON, Isabelle SCHMICH YAMANE.

Why do some people feel that they are “made ill” by wind turbine noise. Geoff Leventhall.

Frequency Content of Measured Wind Farm Noise Levels in Comparison to Background Noise Levels. Tom Levet. . Presenting insights from shadow flicker compliance monitoring. Peter Longbottom.

Putting the IOA preferred AM assessment method and the penalty into practice – an outlook for future developments of wind farms in the UK. Krispian Lowe, Sylvia Broneske.

ASSESSMENT OF THE ERROR BETWEEN MEASURED AND PREDICTED NOISE LEVELS FROM WIND FARMS. Luc SCHILLEMANS Luc SCHILLEMANS, Marc VAN CAILLIE, Colin LE BOURDAT, Simon COURRET

Simulated low frequency wind turbine noise from wake operation. Helge Aagaard Madsen, Franck Bertagnolio, Andreas Fischer.

High Fidelity Airfoil Trailing Edge Noise Predictions via Lattice-Boltzmann Simulations. Farhan Ahmed Manegar, Thomas Carolus, Sascha Erbslöh.

Perceptual confusion between an 8-Hz tone plus 125-Hz tone mix and an 8-Hz amplitude- modulated 125 Hz tone. Torsten Marquardt.

Development of an Airfoil Inflow Noise Prediction Tool. Alexandre Martuscelli Faria, Marcos de Mattos Pimenta.

Accurate Prediction of Noise from Aerofoils with Serrated Trailing Edges. Yannick Mayer, Benshuai Lyu, Hasan Kamliya Jawahar, Mahdi Azarpeyvand.

A COMPREHENSIVE HAMILTONIAN RAY TRACING TECHNIQUE FOR WIND TURBINE NOISE PROPAGATION UNDER ARBITRARY WEATHER CONDITIONS. Sterling McBride, Ricardo Burdisso.

Acoustic measurements of a wind turbine cambered airfoil with flow-misaligned serrations in a closed wind tunnel test section. Roberto Merino-Martinez, Wouter van der Velden, Francesco Avallone, Daniele Ragni.

Measurement Techniques for determining Wind Turbine Infrasound Penetration into Homes. Andy Metelka, Andy, Metelka.

A single aggregated exposure response relationship for all magnitudes of annoyance toward multiple wind turbine features. David Michaud, Leonora Marro.

Evaluation of Wind Turbine Noise in Japan. Mimi NAMEKI, Hitomi KIMURA: Hiroya DEGUCHI: Nobuo MACHIDA; Hideki TACHIBANA.

Analysis of sound emission by using amplitude modulation components of wind turbine noise. Yasuaki Okada, Shinya Hyodo, Koichi Yoshihisa, Teruo Iwase.

Wind Turbine Noise Dose Response – Comparison of Recent Studies. Isaac Old, Kenneth Kaliski.

The Variation of WTN Limits Across the United States – Should there be a Bright Line. Christopher Ollson.

A Rigorous Method of Addressing Wind Turbine Noise. William (Bill) K.G. Palmer.

Addressing a management strategy of Wind Farms Noise Control in Chile. José David Parra Cuevas, Igor Valdebenito, Víctor Hugo Lobos.

Assessment of commercial codes for the prediction of wind turbines noise. José David Parra Cuevas, Enrique Suárez.

Background Noise Variability Relative to Wind Direction, Temperature, and Other Factors. Patricia Pellerin, Kristjan Varnik, Erik Kalapinski, Kevin Fowler.

A REVIEW OF RESEARCH INTO THE AMPLITUDE MODULATED COMPONENT OF WIND TURBINE NOISE AND DEVELOPMENT OF A CONTROL METHOD FOR IMPLEMENTATION IN THE UK. RICHARD PERKINS, Michael Lotinga, Bernard Berry, Colin Grimwood, Stephen Stansfeld.

Acoustic Directivity Pattern of Multi-Megawatt Wind Turbines. Benoît Petitjean, Drew Wetzel, Roger Drobietz, Jonathan Luedke, Kevin Kinzie.

Impact of noise from suburban wind turbines on human well-being. Fei Qu, Jian Kang, Aki Tsuchiya.

MEASUREMENT OF NOISE IN WINDFLOW. Per Rasmussen.

Real atmospheric propagation makes blade passage harmonics audible. Werner Richarz, Harrison Richarz.

The development and limits of the German shadow flicker guidelines. Peter Ritter.

A new characterization of wind turbine noise from Life Cycle Assessment. Andrea Rivarola, Pablo Arena, Héctor Mattio. Aeroacoustic simulation of multiple wind turbine source interaction. Xavier Robin, Cesar Legendre, Diego Copiello.

Variation of wind induced non-turbine related noise due to position, shelter, wind direction and season. Lars Sommer Søndergaard, Rune Egedal, Morten Bording Hansen.

Verification and Validation of the QBlade Airfoil Trailing-Edge Noise Prediction Module. Joseph Saab, Marcos de Mattos Pimenta, José Roberto Castilho Piqueira, David Marten, Geoarge Pechlivanoglou, Christian Navid Nayeri, Christian Oliver Paschereit

iEar dynamic acoustic windfarm curtailment. Jérémy SCHILD, Vincent CHAVAND.

Origin, Transfer and Reduction of Structure-Borne Noise in Wind Turbines. Lukas Schneider.

Wind turbine sound predictions: Literature survey, model assessment and case study on the effect of blade elasticity. Leonard Schorle, Thomas Carolus, Sascha Erbslöh.

Wind farm design including noise contraints. Javier Serrano González, José Miguel Riquelme Dominguez, Jesús Manuel Riquelme Santos, Manuel Burgos Payán.

Modelling activities in wind turbine noise generation and propagation at DTU Wind Energy Wenzhong Shen, Wei Jun Zhu, Emre Barlas, Harald Debertshauser, Jens Noerkaer Soerensen, Franck Bertagnolio, Andreas Fischer, Helge Aagaard Madsen.

Wind turbines in hilly terrain – response of residents to sound disturbance related to sound and meteorological measurements. Anna Sjöblom, Conny Larsson, Kristina Conrady.

Tonal noise mitigation on wind turbines. Jutta Stauber, Brett Marmo, Donald Black, Mark-Paul Buckingham.

Experience of reviewing wind farm noise assessments for Scottish local authorities and the implementation of the IOA Good Practice Guide to the Application of ETSU-R-97 for the Assessment and Rating of Wind Turbine Noise. Steve Summers, Graham Parry.

An Update on the Prediction, Assessment and Compliance of Wind Farm Noise in Australia. Peter Teague.

A case study of how to involve impacted neighbors in measuring and characterizing windfarm noise. Sveinulf Vagene.

A ‘social review’ of wind turbine noise. Frits van den Berg, John Bolte.

Variations in measured noise emission of wind turbines due to local circumstances. Wim van der Maarl, Eugène de Beer.

Small Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine: Aeroacoustic and Aerodynamic Optimization of Airfoil and Blade. Kevin Volkmer, N. Kaufmann, T. Carolus.

Extended simulations of wind noise contamination of amplitude modulation ratings. Sabine von Hunerbein, Paul Kendrick; Trevor Cox.

Influence of Harmonic Phases on Subjective Response to Periodic Infrasonic Pulses. Bruce Walker, Joseph Celano.

Computational Aeroacoustics of Small Vertical Axis Wind Turbines by Applying a Hybrid Approach. Johannes Weber, Matthias Tautz, Andreas Hüppe, Stefan Becker, Manfred Kaltenbacher.

Objectify wind turbine noise complaints by longterm sound measurements. Friedrich Wilts, Thomas Neumann.

The visual effects of wind turbines in Japan. Takashi Yano, Sonoko Kuwano, Hideki Tachibana.

An Amplitude Modulation Noise Measurement and Analysis for IEEE P2400 Standard Project. Xiang Ye, Dr. Xue, Yu.

Subjective experiments on the perception of tonal component(s) contained in wind turbine noise. Sakae Yokoyama, Tomohiro Kobayashi, Hideki Tachibana.

HEARING AT LOW FREQUENCIES IN THE PRESENCE OF INFRASOUND. Branko Zajamsek, Peter Catcheside, Gorica Micic, Kristy Hansen, Colin Hansen.

MORE INFORMATION: https://www.windturbinenoise.eu/content/conferences/1-wind-turbine-noise-2017/2017-abstracts/

Direct Effects, Green Energy, Health, Lack of municipal power in planning, legal challenges, The problem with Wind Turbines

Wind Infrastructure and Fatal Collisions

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Who is liable?

It can no longer be said that wind infrastructure placements are an accident waiting to happen.  Guardrails, junction boxes and monster transmission poles are all part and parcel of any wind powered installation. Under the Green Energy Act normal planning controls have been removed from the jurisdiction of local municipalities. This has seen transmission poles placed precariously close to road edges in the right of ways along our public roads.  These “engineered” marvels are more then visual blight or examples of questionable planning as they are claiming human lives in multiple fatal collisions.  Recently a transmission pole owned by Kerwood Wind ILP project which is a subsidiary of NextEra was involved in a collision that claimed the life of the car driver and resulted in serious injuries to the passenger .

READ HERE: http://www.strathroytoday.ca/default.asp?pid=9149287&wireid=02598_Kerwood_Road_Fatality_072156#.V_4p2GvbakF.twitter

(Photos Courtesy of Ontario Wind Resistance: Infrastructure located in Kent- Lambton- Middlesex for the wind projects)

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MPP Monte McNaughton of Kent- Lambton- Middlesex wrote to Minister of Energy Glen Thibeault asking Who is liable?

Letter to Minister of Energy from MPP McNaughton; Nov.10.16

 

Adverse Health Effects, Children Affected, Direct Effects, Green Energy, Health

Wind Turbine Investigation

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wind-turbine-investigationMedia Release                                  

Huron County Health Unit

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

November 29, 2016

Information Session on Wind Turbine Investigation

Huron County, ON – Residents of Huron County are invited to an information session hosted by the Huron County Health Unit.  The session is about the upcoming investigation related to reported human health concerns associated with residential proximity to industrial wind turbines.  There will be information on the investigation survey, and time for residents’ questions.

December 6, 2016

7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Huron County Health Unit

Health and Library Complex, 77722B London Road, Clinton, Ontario

Please let us know if you plan to attend at 519-482-3416 (dial 0 to speak to the receptionist)

Direct Effects, Green Energy, Health, The problem with Wind Turbines

Heat or Eat- Green Energy Benefits Few

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energy-povertty-2016“Soaring hydro costs have become an Achilles heel for the Liberal government, which took a costly plunge into green energy in 2009 and has been raked over the coals by the auditor general for ignoring its own energy planners and saddling consumers with billions of dollars above market prices for power.”

 

High hydro costs sending Ontarians to food banks, report says

By John Miner, The London Free Press

Monday, November 28, 2016 9:47:20 EST AM

Rising power bills — not just lack of good jobs and high food prices — are forcing hundreds of thousands of Ontarians to turn to food banks, a new report by a food bank umbrella group warns.

In yet another sign of the crisis caused for many in the province by soaring electricity rates, the Ontario Association of Food Banks says the fallout is putting the squeeze on the basic needs of many.

“If people have to choose between keeping the lights on and going hungry, they go without food,”

Carolyn Stewart, executive director of the association, said ahead of Monday’s release of the group’s Hunger Report 2016…

READ AT: http://www.lfpress.com/2016/11/27/new-report-says-soaring-power-bills-help-force-hundreds-of-thousands-in-ontario-to-food-banks

Adverse Health Effects, Direct Effects, Green Energy, Health

Wind Turbine Investigation

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wind-turbine-investigation

Huron County Health Unit is hosting an information session about the Wind Turbine Investigation.  Please attend & RSVP.

WHEN:    December 6th, 2016

TIME:       7-8:30 pm

WHERE:  Huron County Health Unit- 77722B London Road,  N0M1L0 Clinton

Residents of Huron County are invited to an information session hosted by the Huron County Health Unit. The session is about the upcoming investigation related to reported human health concerns associated with residential proximity to industrial wind turbines. There will be information on the investigation survey, and time for residents’ questions. Please let us know if you plan to attend at 519.482.3416 (Dial 0 to speak to receptionist).

 

Animals and turbines, Destruction from turbines, Direct Effects, Environment, Green Energy, harm to wildlife

It’s not a migration it’s an obstacle course

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not-a-migration

The work of cartoonist Adrian Raeside illustrates some of the cumulative harmful impacts from human activities to migrating avian species that use the global flyways.  Habitat loss, avoidance and mortalities are direct adverse impacts arising from the installation of wind power generating facilities.  Killing the natural world one spin at a time.

Enjoy his work at:

https://www.creators.com/read/the-other-coast/11/16/188957

 

Adverse Health Effects, Direct Effects, Green Energy, Health, Noise, Turbines & Property Devalue

Boiling Point Reached Over Testing Delays On Port Elgin Wind Turbine

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unifor-wind-turbine-570

By October 13, 2016 4:26am

Continued delays of acoustic testing of the Unifor wind turbine in Port Elgin has Saugeen Shores council sounding off.

Council is filing a complaint with Ontario Ombudsman Paul Dube regarding the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change’s promised testing of the turbine, which has not yet been completed.

Deputy Mayor Luke Charbonneau says the MOECC originally told council they would have the acoustic audit completed by June of this year, but adds it has been delayed at least three times since then, with the Ministry now saying the audit won’t be completed until at least next summer.

He says a sound testing company has been conducting preliminary data in the area of the turbine, which is located at Unifor’s Family Education Centre at the south end of Port Elgin, although that data has not been shared with either the MOECC or the municipality.

“We don’t know what the results of those tests have been, we have no audit, [MOECC] doesn’t know, so what’s going on?   It’s really simple to me, we need to know if this turbine is operating in compliance with the law,” says Charbonneau.

Charbonneau says the MOECC is blaming weather, a lack of wind and turbine down-time as the reasons for the testing delays.

Charbonneau’s home is one of more than 100 homes and cottages located within the 550-metre setback typically required for industrial wind turbines, though he says his family has not had any issues with the operation of the turbine, other than one complaint regarding shadow flicker, which was resolved.

Charbonneau says more than 50 complaints regarding the turbine’s operation have been received since February, most recently two weeks ago when a resident complained of the turbine making a thumping noise.

The 250-foot Unifor wind turbine was constructed by what was then the Canadian Auto Workers Union in 2012 and went into service a year later.

READ AT: http://blackburnnews.com/midwestern-ontario/midwestern-ontario-news/2016/10/13/boiling-point-reached-testing-delays-port-elgin-wind-turbine/

Adverse Health Effects, Children Affected, Direct Effects, Health, Noise

Vermont cabin becomes lab to study wind turbine noise

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“Deep in the night, when things were quiet on the highway, a low hum came from the opposite direction, punctuated occasionally by louder noises, the Therriens say. Soon, they say, they and their two small children were plagued by sleeplessness, nausea and other problems.”

therriensSHEFFIELD, Vt. (AP) — Once it was just another cabin on a Vermont hillside. Now it’s an emblem in the debate over noise from the growing wind energy industry.

Studies have repeatedly found no evidence connecting noise from wind power turbines to human health problems. But critics question the soundness of those studies. Among them are Steve and Luann Therrien, who say a wind farm near their home made their lives hell.

The case has created a fissure among environmentalists in this liberal state with a reputation for green thinking, pitting those who see wind energy as key to reducing reliance on pollution-spewing fossil fuels against those convinced audible noises and inaudible “infrasound” present health threats to those living nearby. And each side questions the objectivity of the other’s research.

The Therriens’ old cabin is up 5 miles of dirt road from town, but is just a quarter-mile from a rural stretch of Interstate 91. The highway noise largely didn’t bother them.

But after the 16 turbine towers of the Sheffield Wind Project went up on a nearby ridgeline in 2011 — the closest about three-quarters of a mile away and five within a mile — things changed, the Therriens say.

READ AT: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/2827437f49bd43b196bc07f4917a97bd/vermont-cabin-becomes-lab-study-wind-turbine-noise

Adverse Health Effects, Cost Benefit, Direct Effects, Green Energy, Unite the Fight!

We are all suffering

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heat-or-eatEnergy Poverty is a direct serious harm to health that has resulted from Ontario’s energy policies. Poverty determines your level of health.  Not being able to pay your hydro bill is an adverse health outcome resulting from the pursuit of renewable energy projects without careful consideration of benefits and costs.  The Green Energy Act and rates paid for renewable energy (wind & solar) generated electricity has fueled the crisis of soaring hydro rates. There is a growing fury among those who can no longer bear such political agendas.  The pressure is building. People are demanding Government serve people, not only the interests of the “green” industries.

 

hamilton-protest
City Hall Protest Targets Skyrocketing Hydro Rates- Hamilton, Ontario

Hamilton Spectator

By Jon Wells

A rally against oppressive hydro bills attracted at least 100 protesters in front of city hall, and enough supportive horn honking on Main Street to sometimes drown-out speakers assailing Premier Kathleen Wynne’s government.

Most notable were those mobilized enough by the issue to get downtown by 5 p.m. and who have never publicly protested anything before.

Home electricity bills have skyrocketed in the last five years: off-peak prices have increased 47 per cent, and on-peak prices have increased 67 per cent.

That’s why Lori Balkom took part in her first protest, holding a sign standing close enough to the road to feel the breeze from cars driving by honking.

“My last bill was $850,” she said. “Last summer it was $500 … There are people out there who can’t afford food because of (their hydro bills). It’s not right.”

Her sisters Debbie Leblanc and Patti Glenn joined her. Leblanc lives in a building for seniors, and said at least one woman couldn’t afford to turn on air conditioning this summer and had to hang out in a mall instead.

Jeff Coe happened upon the protest while out for a walk and was swept up in it and signed a petition.

“I’m all for conservation, I conserve my kilowatt hours, but the bill keeps going up,” he said. “So that’s why I’m here, too.”

The focus of the rally was Wynne: signs called on her to resign, and labelled her government “corrupt or stupid.” The most popular read: “Keep hydro public,” a reference to calls for Wynne to reverse the privatization of Hydro One, the province’s electricity transmission monopoly.

Politicians from the provincial Progressive Conservatives and NDP spoke, but the rally’s organizer, Sarah Warry-Poljanski, was the focal point, dressed in work boots, bright orange hydro worker-style coveralls, and white hard hat.

“With the cost of hydro we are all suffering … seniors and pensioners, people working two or more jobs just to get by,” she shouted into the microphone. “This is unacceptable … The (government) needs to stop serving themselves, and serving us.”

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