Shetland windfarm - Viking Energy

[Ghostrider]

.....a private firm will build turbines anyway and the community won't benefit.

 

You ruined a very valid post by signing off with that line.

 

The site currently being punted for use by VE, is (as far as has been made public knowledge) the only site in Shetland which is capable of accomodating the numbers of windmills required, to allegedly earn the estimated profits that the numbers currently being thrown around equate to, that has had any planning or preparatory work done.

 

The SIC (the Shetland public) is one of the largest owners, if not the largest owner of the VE site. If VE were to be quoshed, no private firm can build the turbines on the same site without SIC (the Shetland public) approval and agreement of terms. IOW, no windmills can be built anyway by anyone else unless they enter in to an argeement with the SIC (the Shetland public) to buy, lease or otherwise legally occupy the same site, for which, I would really hope the SIC (the Shetland public) still has enough good sense left to charge them a sum appropriate to the potential value of the site, and in doing so the SIC (the Shetland public/comminity) will benefit.

 

Any project of comparable size to VE (required, to make your argument of loss of income valid) on a totally fresh site, of which the SIC owns no part (the only option for which the community would probably not receive direct benefit) is a very long way in to the future, if indeed such a thing could be possible

 

Scaremongering doesn't help a debate. If the SIC risk spending all of their reserves in five years, VE is not their saviour, even if construction were to begin today, VE would not be earning enough to save them even five years from now. To do so, VE would need to be completed, commissioned and operating at full capacity before the end of April 2015. VE's own (IMHO) optimistic estimate for completion of construction is an unstated date in 2016.

[Greenfingers]

Very interesting series started on BBC2 last Friday at 7pm called " Windfarm Wars." Not showing in Scotland though. I wonder why? We have the umpteenth repeat of Dads Army. You can still catch it on iplayer but will have to be quick as episode 1 will become unavailable this Friday.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00zn463/Windfarm_Wars_Episode_1/

 

Its about a 7 year battle between objectors and developers over a proposal to build a 9 turbine windfarm. If the first episode is a barometer for future ones then it will be a very interesting watch as it gets right inside the issues involved.

[Para Handy]

£1.3BN PROFIT AT SSE

 

ELECTRICITY and gas supplier Scottish & Southern Energy (SSE) yesterday reported a rise in profits but warned that its 10 million customers faced higher bills.

 

 

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/247857/-1-3bn-profit-at-SSE

 

And when the widmills go up Lovely Jubbly

[WiiMan]

.....a private firm will build turbines anyway and the community won't benefit.

 

You ruined a very valid post by signing off with that line.

 

The SIC (the Shetland public) is one of the largest owners, if not the largest owner of the VE site. If VE were to be quoshed, no private firm can build the turbines on the same site without SIC (the Shetland public) approval and agreement of terms. IOW, no windmills can be built anyway by anyone else unless they enter in to an argeement with the SIC (the Shetland public) to buy, lease or otherwise legally occupy the same site, for which, I would really hope the SIC (the Shetland public) still has enough good sense left to charge them a sum appropriate to the potential value of the site, and in doing so the SIC (the Shetland public/comminity) will benefit.

 

GR, I think Greysuit's quote is a valid one but I'm not so sure about yours!

 

I asked the question at a wind farm meeting a while ago, how many turbines would be sited on land owned or controlled by the SIC. The answer I got back then was 26. I think some turbines have been removed since then so that number could be less.

[Grafter]

An interesting story from the Northern Times about windfarm noise and breaches of planning guidelines. The company involved is SSE which is worrying for us here in Shetland because of their involvement with VE.

They have clearly paid little attention to genuine complaints from people living near to the windfarm. A similar situation could well arise here if VE gets the go ahead.

http://www.northern-times.co.uk/News/Exasperated-planners-shut-wind-farm-down-6934757.htm

[peenk]

And when the Goverment issued a challenge to this they were told by SSE they would shut them dwn . so the goverment gave in, What hope do our council have getting into bed with this lot SSE will own shetland soon

 

 

http://www.turnuptheheat.org/index.php

[shetlandpeat]

The noise from turbines, although loud in cases where you are close or down wind can be offset by the background noise. If it is windy it may be loud enough not to have that much impact. It was on aTeeVee program about installing turbines in England. The complainers said it would be heard but reality was the back ground noise was louder.

[mogling]

It's not the actual audible noise that worries me, but Infrasound; inaudible sound below 17Hz.

Some Hollywood films are alleged to employ the use of infrasound to produce a heightened state of unease in the audience.

 

I worry for families living near the turbines, especially those who have children on the Autistic Spectrum...

 

An excerpt from my official objection letter:

 

 

"Ecological aspects and proximity to settlements:

 

I am very concerned about the possible effects and dangers of Infrasound {low frequency vibration} negative or harmful EMF {electromagnetic frequencies}, noise pollution, and light-flicker on both the immediate and longer-term health and well-being of proximal humans, wildlife, domestic animals, wild and farmed fish, and plant life.

 

There is no way of predicting the levels of Infrasound that could be generated by this wind farm? Infrasound can make people ill and disturbed, causing symptoms of euphoria, recklessness, unexplained fear, depression, dizziness and loss of balance to name but a few... with women and children being more susceptible.

 

Some houses are only 0.9Km from turbines. {Going by the VE map - I was unable to get more accurate figures so am ready to be corrected...}

Various ‘experts’ in the field recommend minimum distances of between 1.5 -> 3 Km.

Some wind turbine manufacturers themselves recommend a minimum distance between one of their turbines and houses of 2Km.

e.g. RETEXO-RISP GmbH

 

Fish are particularly sensitive to infrasound. Indeed, many Japanese keep goldfish as indicators of impending earthquakes, as they begin to swim frantically when they detect the low frequency vibrations.

Aquaculture and fish-farming play an important part in Shetland’s economy, and anything that jeopardises the industry would be detrimental to our islands.

I do not believe it would be possible to predict over what distance any infrasound / low frequency vibration produced by 150 large wind turbines could reach, so fish farms and hatcheries quite a distance away could be affected?

 

 

The effects on health of EMF are well documented; November 1989, the Department of Energy reported that "It has now become generally accepted that there are, indeed, biological effects due to field exposure."

The levels of EMF generated by 150 turbines and also at the planned Kergord Convertor Station, and how far it would extend, is uncertain, I believe."

 

 

I raised the points about Infrasound / EMF & distances between turbines and homes at the Radio Shetland Museum Debate with Allen Wishart - he wouldn't answer whether there were indeed houses less than 2Km away, and stated how research by Doctors like Nina Pierpont MD, PhD on 'Wind Turbine Syndrome' had been disproved...

 

I really hope that if the planned VE windfarm goes ahead, that people living nearby will not have their health adversely affected.

[hairyian]

 

.....

The effects on health of EMF are well documented; November 1989, the Department of Energy reported that "It has now become generally accepted that there are, indeed, biological effects due to field exposure."

The levels of EMF generated by 150 turbines and also at the planned Kergord Convertor Station, and how far it would extend, is uncertain, I believe."...

 

Good grief ! Thanks for heads up.

 

Sorry, last post, I am removing all the electricity from my house.

Will have to clad it in copper. ... neighbours not keen on me having electricty removed from whole area.

 

Hang on ... maybe I can panic not ?

That EMF study was to do with living under / very close to National Grid Pylons carrying 400,000 Volts and 4,000 MW Not seen mention of those in the VE planning application?

 

Still, I am sure you can scrape up some other scarey nonsense to assist in your NIMBY campaign.

 

[ArabiaTerra]

Fish are particularly sensitive to infrasound.....

Complete and utter bollox!

 

If fish were sensitive to infrasound then the sea around oil production platforms would be a desert. Instead it is teeming with fish as they are protected from commercial fishing there.

 

This debate is getting ridiculous. The total garbage that the "sustainable" Shetland minions are spouting has now entered the realm of fantasy. The desperation would be amusing if it weren't so pathetic.

 

You've had your referendum. Billy lost by a ratio of 2:1, despite the fact that many people who support the windfarm voted for him too. The vast majority of Shetlander's either support the windfarm, or couldn't care less. The anti's are the minority. Please would you just accept this and shut up. It's getting boring now.

[PJ of Hildisvik]

AT, spoken like the "Global warming Evangelist" that you are .

Boring?, well you should know

 

When are you going to tell the Chinese to stop building coal fired power stations then AT?, you're kind of Democracy isn't it?

[ArabiaTerra]

AT, spoken like the "Global warming Evangelist" that you are .

Boring?, well you should know

 

When are you going to tell the Chinese to stop building coal fired power stations then AT?, you're kind of Democracy isn't it?

A realist, PJ, not an evangelist. Evangelists promote fantasy. Global warming is all too real.

 

And the Chinese are building more renewable energy capacity than the rest of the world combined at the moment. Why would they be doing that if it was all a hoax? They certainly believe AGW is real.

 

Oh, and before you trot out that old saw about the Chinese building a new coal fired station every week (how long have the deniers been peddling that one? 4 years, 5?), you should consider that any new coal stations the Chinese do build are efficient modern ones which are replacing old Mao era coal stations which the Chinese have been closing at a rate of one or more a day for the last few years.

 

The carbon footprint of the average Chinaman is 6 tonnes/year. The footprint of the average Shetlander is around 20 tonnes/year. We have a loooong way to go before we can even start criticising China.

[orkneypaul]

So can you break down my 20 tonnes

[mate64]

I am in favour of the farm cos it will make money for Shetland. It will create jobs for Shetland. It will help the young people of Shetland because, most importantly, it will open up opportunities to get into tide and wave. That’s where the real power is.

(These arguments about the windmills preventing global warming are complete c… The percentages involved are virtually zero)

 

However, if noise is a problem it must be sorted. I certainly wouldn’t want to live near something churning out a constant noise. There are plenty of windfarms now in the UK for readings to be taken. Either it’s a problem or not. There is no point in us arguing about it back and fore here on Shetlink. Surely it is not beyond the wit of ‘experts’ to give us the facts. Some turbines may have to be re-sited. We have to do the right thing.

[Guest posiedon]

The noise created by the turbines is one thing.

'Turbines wind up my goats'

 

The change in air pressure around the turbines is another concern.

 

Wind farms put pressure on bats.