George McLaughlin's property has been on the market for five months, but after his new neighbour, Capital Wind Farm, fired up its turbines about a month ago, he decided to move out even if he cannot sell. While Kevin Rudd was pushing global solutions for climate change in New York at the weekend, in NSW the battle between wind farms as planet-saving sources of renewable energy and residents who say they destroy rural life is coming to a head.

Residents protesting against plans for a wind farm near Dumsurn say they are alarmed by results from a recent report which claims living close to turbines can lead to a greater risk of several health problems. The application for the proposed wind farm in the North Sperrins is for seven turbines, each 121 metres tall ...Members of the Roe Valley Anti Wind Farm Group are determined to fight the proposal and say they will take legal action if they have to. They argue there are too many wind farms in the area and that "enough is enough".

Jane Davis and her husband Julian from Deeping, St Nicholas live less than 1,000 metres from a huge wind farm that was built three years ago. The couple say the noise from the eight 330 ft (100m) turbines keeps them awake at night and has forced them to move into rented accommodation. In an effort to have the turbines switched off at night or even taken down altogether the couple are planning to take the developers, landowners and operators to the High Court.

Residents living near a new wind turbine say it sounds like a 'steam train' day and night. The windmill sited at Intec (UK) Ltd on Penrod Way, Heysham, has only recently been turned on to full capacity and then it became apparent that the noise for neighbouring properties was, according to residents, 'torture'. ..."The company's management arranged for the installers to make adjustments ...It was hoped that that this may have reduced the problem, but residents so far do not find this to be the case.

A small group of protesters took advantage o f the Federal health minister' s visit to Ballan yesterday to stage a quiet demonstration against the region's wind farms, but Nicola Roxon was unperturbed. The group wielding placards detailing the alleged adverse health effects of living near the giant turbines stood in the grounds of the town's new super clinic as Ms. Roxon officially opened the building before a group of about 80.

At the Maine Medical Association's annual meeting, the group took up the issue of wind energy and public health. The MMA approved a resolution, submitted by Dr. Albert Aniel and Dr. Michael Nissenbaum, to encourage studies of the health effects of wind turbines.

Ashhurst man Harvey Jones has sounded a warning about what Turitea residences could be in for if a wind farm gets the go-ahead there. Yesterday, he described to the board of inquiry considering the Turitea proposal how he would hear a "low rumble like a train" and a noise "sometimes like a jet flying over the top."

The University of Ballarat has begun investigating noise levels near Waubra Wind Farm, with residents claiming low frequency turbine sound is affecting their health. Some say they have experienced headaches, nausea and sleep deprivation since the turbines began operating. The tests will be done at various locations

Wind farms may be good for the environment, but are they good for people living right next to them? Farmers living near Australia's biggest wind farm in Waubra in north western Victoria claim it's making them sick. But the State Government and the wind farm company say there's no evidence to prove the turbines are the cause of the problem. Cheryl Hall reports.

An engineering expert has started testing noise levels at properties near the Waubra wind farm. Some residents close to the farm say low frequency noise from the turbines is damaging their health. Ballarat University engineering lecturer Graeme Hood will do the tests.

A wind farm company has refuted claims by Waubra residents that 128 turbines are causing excessive low-frequency noise. ...However, a University of Ballarat engineer has cast doubt on the tests. Graeme Hood said sound measuring equipment purchased by Mr. Dean, showed low-frequency sound measured at 70 to 80 decibels in Mr. Dean's home.

The Victorian Government is being called on to investigate whether wind farms can cause people to get sick. A family from Waubra, west of Ballarat, recently moved out of their house because they say a low frequency hum from the Waubra wind farm was giving them headaches.

The Clayton Town Council agreed to keep the sound limitations and most of the setback recommendations from the Wind Committee and forward them to the town attorney to begin writing a new zoning law for wind power development. The council, meeting Wednesday night, held voice votes on all 16 recommendations forwarded from the committee. The only point dropped by the council was a recommendation to site turbines so there would be no flicker effect falling at road intersections.

People will complain about wind-farm noise no matter what restrictions are put in place, a board of inquiry has been told. As the wind wailed outside Palmerston North's FMG Stadium yesterday, inside, the board continued to hear about noise issues relating to the proposed Turitea Wind Farm. Environment Minister Nick Smith appointed the board to decide if the 121-turbine proposal from Mighty River Power should go ahead.

Epsilon Associates, Inc. of Massachusetts will be conducting a noise study at the Michigan I Wind Park next month, and the study was a focal point of conversation during the Huron County Wind Energy Subcommittee meeting. Russ Lundberg, Huron County Building and Zoning director, said he and Kurt Damrow, Huron County commissioner and head of the subcommittee, met with Rob O'Neal of Epsilon Associates earlier this month. The company was hired by John Deere Wind to complete the wind turbine noise study.

People who find themselves living next door to a wind farm are unlikely to have their land compulsorily acquired, despite some residents complaining that the turbines are hurting their health. Michael Pickering, an expert on compulsory acquisition with LAC Lawyers in Melbourne, said there is no straightforward legal process open to landowners who believe their properties should have been acquired before energy companies were permitted to erect large turbines.

Makara residents have complained of constant thumping, ka-thunk-type noises and swooshing and swishing coming from the West Wind wind farm and warn a similar development will be just as noisy. Makara Ohariu Community Board chairwoman Ruth Paul said complaints came from 20 households to the Meridian Energy noise complaint hotline in just two days last month.

Peter Kelley, the attorney for the group, said Tuesday that his clients have seen the quality of life they experienced before the windmills were constructed slip from their grasp. He said his clients are alleging that they were not properly notified about all that the construction process entailed. Noise, which Wendy Todd said Tuesday was not supposed to be an issue, continues to reverberate from the wind farm. Headaches and frayed nerves are now a problem, according to Todd, and property values among the homes allegedly affected by the project have diminished.

A controversial new medical study gaining supporters claims living close to windmills can give you migraines and panic attacks. These windmills are at the center of a medical debate brought on by this controversial new study. Dr. Nina Pierpont in New York lists a dozen possible health problems ranging from migraines to panic attacks. She calls it "wind turbine syndrome." Spinning windmill blades allegedly cause a vibration we can't hear. ...Ear, nose and throat specialist Dr. Syed Ahsan at Eisenhower Medical Center weighs in.

People living close to windfarms in Powys could face a health risk as campaigners claim turbines are being built too close to people's homes. It comes as Powys County Council is expected to receive planning applications for more than 500 wind turbines. Campaign group Cadwriaeth Ucheldir Powys say studies have revealed many householders living near turbines suffer headaches, sleep deprivation and dizziness.