Shetland windfarm - Viking Energy

[Suffererof1crankymofo]

Given that we have more hours of sunlight than elsewhere in the UK during the summer but less daylight during the winter, it's a fair assumption to make re flicker.  How anybody can say they are 100% certain there will be none because something is designed by a computer program beats me.

 

Re the mink.  I never said I supported the mink trade.  However, there have been mink farms in the past in Shetland.  Denmark has some pretty weird laws when it comes to animals and that is down to the Danish people, not us.  The facts remain, however, no matter how abhorrent, that the article outlines a recent event.

 

I've never said that stress isn't a factor when dealing with caged animals.  But whether it be battery hens, dairy cows kept indoors, sheep out in a field, or mink in cages; you cannot get away from the fact that the only time the mums attacked their pups was when the wind turbines were operational.  Coincidence?  Didn't the article state it happened more than once yet didn't occur when the turbines were turned off?  There are also the vet reports.  Whether horrid or not, whether it be a farmer having pigs or goats or battery hens, animals are a commodity.  If the animals die/miscarriages occur, it affects profit.  Farming is big business, whether you like it or not.  But this isn't about whether someone is or isn't in favour of the mink trade, this is about the effects of wind turbines on living animals, namely infrasound and vibration, hardly detectable to the human ear.  Ignore at your peril.

[shetlandpeat]

To be honest, the animal thing is folly really and a total red herring. Animals are mobile and can be moved. The article is also hearsay, no evidence.

 

How ever much I detest suffering in the name of vanity, using caged wild preditors as the evidence that wind turbines harm them is complete tosh and as I said, a low act to try to prove a point.. You keep telling us that this is evidence, however, look at the videos produced by animal welfare groups where the acts claimed to be because of turbines happen without turbines.

 

 

This crowding and confinement is especially distressing to minks—solitary animals who may occupy up to 2,500 acres of wetland habitat in the wild. The anguish and frustration of life in a cage leads minks to self-mutilate—biting at their skin, tails, and feet—and frantically pace and circle endlessly. Zoologists at Oxford University who studied captive minks found that despite generations of being bred for fur, minks have not been domesticated and suffer greatly in captivity, especially if they are not given the opportunity to swim.

Read more: http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-clothing/animals-used-clothing-factsheets/inside-fur-industry-factory-farms/#ixzz37YXi8MXg

 

It is similar here, one Tory councillor claimed that installing a wind turbine would increase CO2 as dog walkers in the area would not want to walk their dogs their anymore and drive elsewhere, yet, in another part of the borough, the area within sight of an existing turbine is a doggy doo hot spot.

[Ghostrider]

^ ....and "lets burn down the pet shops" PETA is an objective and unbiased reference source!

[JayneSue]

As someone who is about to move from West Yorkshire to Shetland and has lived for the last 14 years within 1/2 of a mile of a 23 turbine onshore wind farm i feel i am in a position to dispell the myths of the effects of the turbines both on humans and animsls alike. First of all there is this myth of flicker from the shadow of the turbines whilst turning, they do cast a shadow but because of the height of the turbines and the shape of the blades the shadow is so faint it is scarcely visible and only if your house is in direct shadow would you see notice any effect and within a couple of hours you become oblivious to it. doesnt even spoil a picnic, i would be more worried about the wind effecting my health than a turbine and i am not worried about the wind.

  Then theres the myth about the noise created by the turbines, here again the myth is more frightening than the sound, the sound is akin to waves quietly and gentely washing on a beach, i dont know about you but i find that sound very soothing and so relaxing it sends me to sleep, when i first moved here it was a bit unnerving hearing waves quietly and gently washing on a beach 50 miles from the sea. 

   Then there is the livestock and wildlife, well lets see before this windfarm was built the cattle and sheep had to wander in open fields and moorland and walk along way if they needed a post to scratch or somewhere to shelter from the elements on inclement days, now they use the transformer housing( something about the size of a garden shed at the bottom of each turbine to either scratch on the corner of or huddle to the sheltered side of on inclement days. they seem happy that the shelter is there, im sure shetland livestock will find more of a need for this than West Yorkshire livestock.

 Now i hear you all asking the question what about birds will they be affected by the turbines, i have to answer yes to that one, yes they have a loveley place to nest and roost on the turbine box at the back of the blades that generates the electricity its to the birds like a high cliff face which we all know birds love for its secludedness allowing them to nest without the fear of preditors.

[Fatal Paper Cut]

^

 

How dare you bring facts, evidence and experience into this debate. Don't you realise it's all about hearsay, half truths and scaremongering? 

[as]

Would it be please possible that you give us a name/ location for the windfarm you are referring to so that folk can look up the details (type/make/size) and compare it to the turbines that VE is proposing? It might give us some helpful clues....

[JayneSue]

Coal Clough windfarm at Todmorden West Yorkshire and Gorple windfarm at more or less the same location. one Coal Clough is on the hillside to the northwest of the town and the other Gorple which is more rercent is on the hillside to the southwest of the town. it is Coal Clough that i refer to.

[as]

Thanks for the info.

[JayneSue]

http://www.scottishpowerrenewables.com/pages/coal_clough.asp

[Suffererof1crankymofo]

As someone who is about to move from West Yorkshire to Shetland and has lived for the last 14 years within 1/2 of a mile of a 23 turbine onshore wind farm i feel i am in a position to dispell the myths of the effects of the turbines both on humans and animsls alike. First of all there is this myth of flicker from the shadow of the turbines whilst turning, they do cast a shadow but because of the height of the turbines and the shape of the blades the shadow is so faint it is scarcely visible and only if your house is in direct shadow would you see notice any effect and within a couple of hours you become oblivious to it. doesnt even spoil a picnic, i would be more worried about the wind effecting my health than a turbine and i am not worried about the wind.

  Then theres the myth about the noise created by the turbines, here again the myth is more frightening than the sound, the sound is akin to waves quietly and gentely washing on a beach, i dont know about you but i find that sound very soothing and so relaxing it sends me to sleep, when i first moved here it was a bit unnerving hearing waves quietly and gently washing on a beach 50 miles from the sea. 

   Then there is the livestock and wildlife, well lets see before this windfarm was built the cattle and sheep had to wander in open fields and moorland and walk along way if they needed a post to scratch or somewhere to shelter from the elements on inclement days, now they use the transformer housing( something about the size of a garden shed at the bottom of each turbine to either scratch on the corner of or huddle to the sheltered side of on inclement days. they seem happy that the shelter is there, im sure shetland livestock will find more of a need for this than West Yorkshire livestock.

 Now i hear you all asking the question what about birds will they be affected by the turbines, i have to answer yes to that one, yes they have a loveley place to nest and roost on the turbine box at the back of the blades that generates the electricity its to the birds like a high cliff face which we all know birds love for its secludedness allowing them to nest without the fear of preditors.

 

How exactly is a beach 50 miles from the sea?  Or do you mean that West Yorkshire is 50 miles from the sea?  Blimey, what with all the steelworks and other factories in-between Yorkshire and Cleethorpes/Blackpool/insert northern seaside town of your choice, you must have exceptional hearing.

 

Edit:  And those wind turbines are tiny compared to what is proposed for here.  Interesting to note too that they were built in 1992 yet are being replaced now with larger ones, plus press reports stated that whilst villagers aren't being affected at present, they anticipate they will be with the much larger ones - no wonder you're moving.

Edited July 22, 2014 by Suffererof1crankymofo

[JayneSue]

you really need to brush up on your geography and also read (that wind turbines at about 500 yards sound like the sea washing on a beach) . Todmorden nearest sea is Blackpool in Lancashire which is a lot nearer than Cleethorpes which incidentally is in Lincolnshire, nearest yorkshire seaside town is Bridlington about 110 miles away. I'll be much happier when i can move to my house in Walls which is only a few yards from the sea. then i can go to sleep listening to the real thing as opposed to 23 wind turbines which just sound like the sea.

[Suffererof1crankymofo]

@JayneSea, given that I'm from Lincs, I have no problem brushing up on my geography.

 

However, with all due respect, it was you who typed:-

 

"when i first moved here it was a bit unnerving hearing waves quietly and gently washing on a beach 50 miles from the sea."

[shetlandpeat]

 

 

How exactly is a beach 50 miles from the sea?  Or do you mean that West Yorkshire is 50 miles from the sea?  Blimey, what with all the steelworks and other factories in-between Yorkshire and Cleethorpes/Blackpool/insert northern seaside town of your choice, you must have exceptional hearing.

 

 

 

 

Cheeses, do you not read?!!!!! You really have taken lowered any though folk may have had about those opposing not listening.

 

 

i dont know about you but i find that sound very soothing and so relaxing it sends me to sleep, when i first moved here it was a bit unnerving hearing waves quietly and gently washing on a beach 50 miles from the sea.

 

JayneSue was exclaiming on how it was initially unusual to hear such a noise that in her mind sounded like the sea on the beach when the place she lives is 50 miles from the sea.

 

Anyhow, welcome to the forum JayneSue.

 

I know a little about Todmorden, I used to drive a gritter from Burnley to the surrounding areas, it is rather nice. The turbines do not really look out of place. Another link I have with Todmorden is the community food growing, ours is not on the scale as the Increadible Edible but we do our best.

 

enjoy the forum and I do hope you enjoy Shetland, it is really full of wonderful folk, they get some great visitors as well

Edited July 22, 2014 by shetlandpeat

[JayneSue]

im moving not cos of the wind turbines infact i campaigned for the erection of the gorple turbines. and have no problem with the new ones, the reason im moving is because i live in what was when i moved her a rural community but as the cities of Leeds and Manchester are now merging (and were in the middle) i dont intend living in a super city, will be a long time before Walls becomes part of Glasgow and Edinburgh, if Viking Energy want to put a turbine in my back garden i dont have a problem. Im definitly not a NIMBY.

 Weve already got the much larger ones at gorple and are not effected by them the thing that most people are effected by is as 'Fatal paper Cut' meantioned "hearsay, half truths and scaremongering". we all want the electricity, we allmwant it to be green energy, but nobody wants it in their own back yard. Lets be totally controversial and say that anybody that objects to wind farms, solar farms, and hydro projects has their electricity cut off permanantly lets see howmany object then.

[Suffererof1crankymofo]

JayneSue, welcome to Shetland.  However, there are people already living in Shetland who do suffer from the effects of flicker.  Tis great that you personally didn't, but to refer to those who do genuinely suffer from the effects of flicker rendering several of their rooms uninhabitable as hearsay, is a tad unfair, don't you think?  Perhaps you too would care to visit their home and perhaps you might feel differently if you experienced it first hand?

 

What, however, isn't hearsay is the fact that the wind turbines at your local wind farm have been replaced before they reached 25 years in age.  Incidentally, how much of local money was used to build that windfarm?  Did your local authority spend its entire nest egg building it?