“Well thats it all sorted then. May I suggest that we all have one of these wonderful devices attached to our homes without delay allowing us all to become self sufficient in electricity. Maybe some body far more clever than I could tell us all just how long this turbine will have to operate before it repays its construction costs and how much clean electricity it will have to produce before it has paid back the carbon debt incurred in its construction. I think the figures might surprise us all, and disapoint more than a few.”

“Some of the comments on this story would make me laugh my socks off if they weren't so sad.

The world faces massive disruption due to climate change and rising sea levels and yet we can't support one tiny project using simple and proven technology that is really old hat and commonplace all over Europe.

What hope for the planet is there?”

“Yes Quasi, I would like one in my back garden please, or on the roof attached to the gable end (probably not a 15m one as that might be too heavy for the brickwork).

As long as it's plumbed into my electric and I get to sell the excess back to the national grid then that's fine by me.

Quasi, you obviously feel very strongly against this proposal. I suggest to write and object to the planning application.

Perhaps you could do a bit of research and look into alternative sources of energy for us. Because I'm thinking that we may have to put up with things that we don't like in the future.
Remember that your electric is generated from gas, coal, oil or nuclear. No somebody has the inconvenience of living next to refineries, ports, pipes, pressure reduction facilities, train marshalling yards where coal is transported.
So perhaps wind turbines are a bit of an eyesore to you, but thousands if not millions of people have to live with eyesores, dangers (exploding LPG tankers in Italy) so that electricity gets to your house without causing an eyesore or any danger for you.

Sorry rant over...”

“Here is some information which may allay understandable fears regarding the project;Wind turbines use the aerodynamic forces of the wind to turn the turbine blades. This creates mechanical shaft power, which is used to drive a generator to make electricity. The blades are carefully designed to maximise efficiency and reduce noise. The turbines have advanced control equipment which maximises energy generation, and shuts the turbine down for maintenance or when wind speeds are too high for safe operation.

Wind Energy ¿ Site
The wind turbine is set adjacent to the path about 55m south of the
Springbank Community Resource Centre. The site is fully exposed to the prevailing south¿westerly winds, and few obstructions are present within 150m in that direction.

The performance of a wind turbine is highly correlated with the average wind speed of the site. Average wind speed data can be derived from the Wind Energy Database, built by the DTi (and accessed via the British Wind Energy Association). These wind speeds are taken from a computer model with a 1km grid resolution; the figures do not take into account local topography and wind blocks (including walls and vegetation) nor local thermal influences on wind speeds including valley breezes. Wind speeds in the park near Springbank Community Resource Centre are at least 4.7 m/s at 10m height, and probably 5.0 m/s at 15m height above ground level which is sufficient to consider a small turbine.
CRC CSEP Project Development Study 10
Structures and vegetation
The turbine should be sited away from buildings and vegetation so as to minimize the effect of turbulence which will shorten the life of the machine and decrease the operating efficiency. The site suggested on the park is clear of major obstacles in the direction of the southwesterly prevailing winds.
Visual impact
The visual impact of turbines is a sensitive issue and one which is very subjective. The impact of a turbine can often be softened by positioning carefully to ensure that it is not visible from long distances. The site in the park is visible from houses immediately surrounding the park, however, due to its relatively low hub height (15m) will not be visible much further beyond these houses. Neither will the wind turbine be visually insensitive to the area. The park currently contains several large high¿voltage power cables, far larger than the wind turbine, and a multitude of CCTV cameras mounted on poles and street lamps.
Noise
Most of the noise associated with larger¿scale wind turbines comes from the gearbox located inside the nacelle (head). The wind turbines designed by Proven, and other small turbine manufacturers, have no gearbox; therefore there is no mechanical noise. Whilst this design means they are some of the quietest turbines on the market, they are not silent. The only noise that is audible will be the sound of the blades cutting through the air. This is a noise produced by all objects moving through the air. The blades designed by Proven are aerodynamically designed to produce the right level of lift for the optimum power production. This design allows the blades to cut through the air like a knife, therefore reducing noise levels. Further as the British Wind Energy Association4 states: ¿It is most unlikely that any noise from small wind turbines will be heard at more than 50 m¿. There are no buildings within 50m radius circle of the turbine location.
Shadow Flicker
Potentially, sunlight passing through moving blades can cause a flickering effect in 'line of sight' directions. There are no houses north of the turbine that are close enough to receive this effect.
Radar Systems and Television Reception
A small 6kW wind turbine will have no detrimental effects on aviation and associated radar or navigation systems, nor will it affect television and radio reception.
Local wildlife
The turbines do not affect animals at all. Studies carried out at existing wind farms sh”

“There are alot of them in Canada and I hear nothing but problems from those that live around them, re Noise to the point that people are trying to sell their homes to get away from. And their homes not as close at it seems yours are going to be. For what it costs to put them up they save very little. Old ones farmers had on farms did a better job.
Good Luck”