Toronto Star
Re: Wind industry needs an offensive stance, Jan. 5
When columnists dabble in science the result is usually misinformation. The recent column by Tyler Hamilton is no exception.
He states, “If wind turbines were bad for us wouldn’t red flags have emerged in Germany and Denmark?” In fact, they have, Mr. Hamilton.
Two, recent studies, Sweden in 2007 and Netherlands in 2009, examined the annoyance factor in a thorough, scientific manner. In both studies, more than 700 individuals were surveyed by standard questionnaire and sound pressure measurements were taken outside their dwellings.
The authors found that the frequency of annoyance and sleep deprivation increased with the proximity to wind turbines and sound levels. All of the other symptoms can flow from the single effect of sleep deprivation.
We should remember that, far from being trivial, sleep deprivation was a standard “enhanced interrogation” technique at Guantanamo Bay prison.
R.B. Philp, Professor Emeritus (environmental toxicology), Western University, London, ON Read more
This is what I wrote in Tyler Hamiltons blog ,Clean Break that’s awaiting “moderation”
We’ll see if he has the testicular fortitude to post it.
Lets have a real honest look at Big Wind in Ontario.
The fact that it needed such draconian legislation from the McGuinty Liberals to make it happen was enough to make most teachers blush in shame considering the recent events surrounding Bill 115. I know, because during the leaders debate in Ingersoll, most teachers I talked with at their protest, were surprised at the removal of rights in the GEA. If wind turbines were such good news, such removal of municipal rights wouldn’t be required.
As for Europe, the idea that this isn’t going on there is laughable and shows a pathetic level of inquiry. Germany is becoming a mess as 600,000 homes have had their hydro cut due to affordibility. The term “energy poverty” only came about recently as a result of this drive to alternative energy. Problems with human health have arisen recently as turbines have moved from being small 500kw , 30 metre high machines to 3mw monsters, 150m in height. Also, wildlife impacts are brought to light as the news that hundreds of thousands of bats are killed from turbines causing their lungs to explode as they get close to the passing blades. The bird carnage is just as common over in Europe as well.
Finally, the case for turbines in Ontario has not , nor will ever stand up to a cost/ benefit analysis. Not one coal plant has been shut down as a result of any wind installation being put in place. In Aug 2006, Ont reached it’s peak demand ever of 27,005mw. We now have installed capacity, which is considered”green” of approximently 30,000mw not including wind or coal. Currently, we have typical demands of upwards of 24,000mw during the summer. Fact is, wind cannot obtain any serious level of a contribution to our supply mix. We simply don’t need it, and grid operators consider it as nuisance power.
So why do we have it? Big Wind operates as any other big business. For those who decry the Big Oil companies in Alberta will be interested to know that some of them are operating turbine developments, hoovering up millions in subsidies in Ont. , likely to help finance operations in the oil sands. There’s no altruism here, no saving the planet, no performance reviews to question why these wind developments operate at 20% of their advertised rating,it’s all about the money.
It’s interesting you bring up Mark Lynas. This is someone who for years hammered away at GM foods. Now, he seems to have done a 180 and has openly apologized for his previous position. His mea culpa on GM foods is to be commended. I would submit that he soon will do the same regarding wind turbines.
Hats off to Dan Wrightman who’s also hammering away on this useful idiot as well.
Paul
I do not agree with J. Wilson stance on the idea that cooperative farmers in Denmark, when receiving monetary benefits from wind and shared by all in the community, the result is little to fight about, and there is no talk of wind turbine syndrome. We have plenty of examples in Ontario where signed farmers are also experiencing the symptoms despite the $$ compensation. This is way off from the basic problem with wind energy, which is that it cannot meet or address the needs of a modern electrical grid. There has been no scientific or economic assessment done on wind (or solar) to show that they are benefitting the Ontario economy, taxpayer or environment which justifies taxpayer support. The AG clearly indicated that last year in his annual review. If one also had fully read the Danish reports, it was also noted that many of these coop farmers also had control over their turbines which allowed them to turn them OFF!
Oops! I think you mean to disagee with bonehead “Peter Forint” from–you guessed it–Toronto. Jane’s comment is above her name on the Toronto Star website, Mr. Forint’s name is below.
What a burden it is for all of us to have to read this crap in the Toronto Star when we face the problems every day in our real lives here in rural Ontario…
Tyler Hamilton has his head so far up McGuinty’s butt that he can see the last of the leaderships hopefuls heels…
Sleep deprivation is an old, old,old tactic and it’s effects have been well known. But now academics get paid for writing about these issues as if they were modern issues. Never happened before.
In the late 1980′s while going to university, a few psychology students on my floor conducted an experiment. They opted not to sleep for xx hours. I don’t remember. What I do remember is that they seemed discombobulated. Unable to make simple decisions and seemed to walk around in a stupor. I do remember that they were not able to go without sleep for as long as they had hoped or planned to. They felt sick, overall, and cut the experiment short. They went to bed.
I am sure that there was more to their study than what I have written, but this is what I observed and heard by interacting with them in common areas outside of class time.
Have you ever noticed at university graduations how many more psycology and sociality diplomas are handed out than other majors?
Have you ever noticed at university graduations how many more psychology and socialist diplomas are handed out than other majors?
Is that cause they can walk around discombobulated and confused and it won’t affect their marks?
jes askin’
Not only is sleep deprivation recognized as harmful, and a ‘..causal..’ factor leading directly to serious negative health impacts, but there have been serious experiments carried out, and still ongoing I guess, by various governments to investigate ‘low frequency sound’ as a weapon and a way to directly impact an ‘enemy combatant’s’ ability to function normally. Industrial Wind Energy has absolutely no benefit that is worth accepting when compared to the appalling economic and environmental disaster it has already become. Andrew Watts
North American Wind Power, Jan.11,2013
“Ontario To Abandon All Coal-Fired Generation, Making Way for More Wind Energy”
http://www.nawindpower.com/e107_plugins/content/content.php?content10954
Office Of The Premier, Jan.10,2013
“Cleaner Air and More Greenspace for Ontarians to Enjoy”
http://www.premier.gov.on.ca/news/event.php?ItemID=23033&Lang=EN
Lambton and Nanticoke coal plants will stop burning coal by the end of 2013.
Greenbelt – playground for the rich
‘[excerpt] McGuinty Government Closing Coal Plants Earlier, Growing Greenbelt’
Ontario citizens – start your payments!
Try:
http://www.nawindpower.com/e107_plugins/content/content.php?content.10954 or use article title search.