Wind Farm Follow-Up?

Question

Are you aware, ie, done your research on the effects of living within two kilometers of a wind turbine? I think they're a great idea but not in my back yard.

Answer 1

Other than a visual impact, there's not much to worry about.  Most WindFarmer developers, if they are smart, will work with landowners regarding turbine placement.  Generally you wouldn't have to worry about one being place within 1500ft, or 0.25mi of your house.  At that distance, noise would be no louder than distant traffic, and it would likely not be perceptible a large portion of the time.  If the wind is really blowing, the noise of the wind may actually be louder than the noise from the turbine itself.  

Another impact is shadow flicker, which is just the shadow cast by the movement of the blades.  Again, most places would be impacted by shadow less than 2-3% of the year, which is less than an hour a day.  

The only other impact may be some disruption during construction, but once turbines are operational, if you can get past the visual aspect, they won't have much of an impact on you.  Hey, it beats having a coal plant built in your backyard!  If we really want to reduce our dependancy on fossil fuels and foreign oil, and minimize our impact on the environment (i.e. global warming), we have to make some sacrafices.  And there are a lot worse things in life than looking out your window and seeing a wind turbine.