The Australian Senate Select Committee on Wind Turbines, which was established in December 2014, released this final report based on a considerable volume of evidence collected from testimonies around the country and beyond. The committee received written and verbal evidence from State Governments, local councils, various federal government agencies, wind farm operators and manufacturers, country fire authorities, acousticians, medical experts and representatives from various associations and institutes. In addition, many private citizens had the opportunity to voice their concerns with the planning, consultation, approval, development and operation of wind farms in Australia. The recommendations from both the interim and final reports are provided below. The full reports, both final and interim, can be accessed by clicking the links on this page. In addition, a minority, dissenting report is included.
Impact on People
Noise
Australia
The WindAction Group (www.windAction.org)
Facts, analysis, exposure to industrial wind energy's real impacts
This important paper examines how wind turbine noise, particularly noise from larger turbines, falls in the lower frequency range, below 1000 and 500 Hz. This type of noise penetrates homes and creates sleep disturbance. The researchers found that, in general, the indoor noise levels of homes near turbines are higher which helps explains noise annoyance complaints. The abstract of the paper is provided below. The full paper can be accessed by selecting the links on this page.
In this open letter, Barbara Ashbee of Mulmur, Ontario, together with hundreds of other Ontarians, sent an open letter to Health Minister Jane Philpott, asking why Health Canada has not insisted wind energy corporations report citizen complaints about noise radiation.The letter, attached here, asks the minister to meet with Ms. Ashbee and representatives of citizens suffering from turbine noise radiations. An excerpt of the letter is provided below. The full letter can be accessed by clicking the links on this page.
Phase I of the Bent Tree Wind Project began operation in January 2012. The project consists of 122 Vestas V82/1650 (1.65 MW, diameter 82 m) turbines for a total installed capacity of 201.3 megawatts. Noise complaints were filed by at least two landowners since September 2015. Staff for the Energy Environmental Review and Analysis (EERA) unit of the MN Department of Commerce examined the complaints and believe the complaints are both Unresolved and Substantial. In this letter with supporting documentation, EERA staff recommended the MN Public Utilities Commission initiate the process for addressing the complaint. The letter to the PUC is provided below. The full letter with documentation can be accessed by clicking the links on this page.
In this powerful letter to the Brown County, Wisconsin Health Board, acoustician Robert Rand explains his obligations under INCE Rules of Practice to notify the appropriate authorities if he believes his professional judgment pertaining to human health impacts has been overruled. In this instance, Mr. Rand is responding to a decision by the county's health officer, Chua Xiong, to rule against the work of the Health Board and find that there is insufficient evidence to show a relationship between wind turbines and health concerns. Mr, Rand was one of four acousticians who studied the noise issues at the Shirley Wind facility. The final report showed that all of those involved with the study, including acousticians who work largely for the wind industry, agreed they had found sufficient evidence to classify low-frequency noise and infrasound emanating from the turbines as a serious issue.
This useful paper provides a detailed review of wind energy development in southern Mexico and the resulting opposition to the projects. Excerpts of the paper are provided below. The full paper can be accessed by selecting the links on this page.
ABSTRACT
This letter written by William Hallstein, MD, a practicing psychiatrist with over 40 years of experience, was delivered to the Falmouth Zoning Board of Appeals. Dr. Hallstein is also a resident of Falmouth Massachusetts. In his letter he explains the very real impact the Falmouth turbines on human health.
Wind Concerns Ontario submitted these comments to the Green Energy Approvals section of the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MOECC), following testimony from acoustics experts at the appeal of the White Pines wind power project. In the letter (provided below and attached to this page), WCO requests that the MOECC review the testimony of the witnesses, specifically that Ontario’s noise regulations are inadequate to protect health, and to apply the information to the current review of noise regulations for wind turbines underway in the province. The White Pines Wind Project, if built, will consist of 29 wind turbines with a nameplate capacity of 59.45 megawatts (MW) situated in within the ward of South Marysburgh and a small portion of Athol, Prince Edward County, Ontario. For more information pertaining to the White Pines wind application appeal before the Ontario Environmental Review Tribunal, see this website - https://appec.wordpress.com/
This paper examines the impact of wind turbine noise among wind farm workers. Turbine noise.can affect annoyance, sleep and health, and any disorder in these factors can amplify the sound exposure effects in the people living close to wind turbines. The effect of the noise exposure on the annoyance, sleep disturbance and health of the people living near to wind farms and their mutual effects on each other was studied in various places around the world and there is a comprehensive literature in this area [6–8], but, so far no study has been conducted to investigate these relations among wind farm workers. The abstract and background for the study are provided below. The full report can be accessed at the links on this page.
Researchers at the Los Alamos National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories, conducted detailed studies that measured infrasound emitted from the 60-turbine Red Mesa Wind Farm situated in Laguna Pueblo, New Mexico, USA. The infrasound was found to travel out to 90 KM from the source. The abstract of the paper is provided below. The full paper can be downloaded from the links on this page.
The objective of this study was to explore the association between wind turbine noise, sleep disturbance and quality of life, using data from published observational studies. The Abstract and Discussion from the report are provided below. The full report can be accessed by clicking the links on this page.
With the proliferation of recent research and the rediscovery of earlier, until now largely ignored studies, infrasound and low frequency noise (LFN) can no longer be dismissed as irrelevant. This report shows why LFN must be given full consideration as a contributing cause of the distress of some of those people living near wind turbine installations. It also demonstrates why the Ontario and Canadian governments must pay attention to this research. The table of contents for the report is provided below. The full report can be accessed by clciking the links on this page.
This critical work investigated the brain's response following the stimulation with sounds at infrasound frequencies was investigated. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) a significant response was detected which was localised within the auditory cortex and which was present down to the lowest frequency presented (8 Hz). The abstract of this report is provided below. The full report can be accessed by clicking the links on this page.
Dr. McMurtry is Professor Emeritus of Western University in London, Ontario. He has researched and reviewed the health impacts of wind turbines for nearly a decade. He appeared before the Australian Senate Select Committee on Wind Turbines on June 29, 2015. The transcript of his appearance is provided below. A full transcript of the day can be found by clicking the link(s) on this page.
This important letter by the Australian Minister of the Environment declares recognition of the continuing concerns raised by communities over wind project siting and operation. The letter includes two attachments that outline a plan to facilitate addressing wind farm complaints and also examine how the country can move away from builting turbines in favor of other emerging technioogies. The full letter can be accessed by clicking the link on this page.
Clive and Petrina Gare presented their story before the Australian Senate Select Committee on Wind Turbines. The Gares leased their land to a wind developer for 19 turbines to be erected. The nearest turbine was sited about 800 metres away from their home with three towers within approximately one to 1.5 kilometres away. In total, they were paid $200,000 per year for hosting the machines. The construction phase was difficult but when the turbines were placed in service in October 2010, the situation became unbearable. The Gares, and others, gave testimony before the Australian Senate Select Committee on Wind Turbines. The full testimony is provided below can be accessed by clicking the links on the page.
Dr. Malcolm A. Swinbanks of MAS Research Limited presented this important paper at the 6th International Meeting on Wind Turbine Noise in Glasgow. In his paper, he explains how turbine noise, in particular, low-frequency noise, cannot be masked by the flow of wind noise across an individual's ear. Within a residence, severe direct health effects on humans have been reported that are attributable to low-frequency and infra-sound. The introduction and conclusion of his paper are provided below. His full paper can be accessed by clicking the link on this page.