Researchers in Germany have unearthed mechanisms by which the ear's natural sounds are amplified by stimulation by low frequency noise, which campaigners often claim to be emitted by wind turbines. The paper itself makes no mention of wind turbines.
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| Sunny and noise-free. Or so the authorities and developers would like you believe. |
Planning consent is such that levels of noise at LF are never taken into consideration, because the frequency and loudness levels are at points of the auditory spectrum where, even if these LF problems were shown to exist, they would never provide a legal basis for planing consent breaches.
Only by the notoriously difficult-to-demonstrate route of statutory nuisance can LF noise currently be brought to Court. Local authorities, whilst obliged to order assessments when reasonable complaints arise, are often in friendly liaisons with turbine developers, and in most cases, get the developers themselves to assess the noise. It's hardly a recipe for objectivity.
But, with this evidence, part of a developing body of research that indicates LF really is a problem and could damage health, those whose lives and property are blighted by wind turbines will feel emboldened.
Anglesey has been an enthusiastic supporter of energy projects, and wind energy insiders report that senior officers are "very keen" when presented with new turbine proposals. The public, however, have a different view.
The tide has turned against onshore wind farms. Their proliferation in the crowded UK has become a significant poilitical issue.
For now, it appears that this latest research is one further nail in the coffin of those who have hoodwinked local politicians and the public alike into believing wind turbines never cause health problems. If they really believed that, then they would embrace LF noise clauses in planning consents. That this is never the case reveals the true situation with respect to turbine developments.
Indeed, the government fairly recently relaxed limits on noise for wind turbines. This blogger, who seems to be an ardent supporter of the wind industry and perhaps part of it, claims the German research is "bad science." As his riposte, he ridiculously posts an online video taken with a simple video device, claiming that the wind farm in question has "no noise."
Where the blogger is right is in his claim that the term "wind turbine" does not appear in the text of the research report.
Whilst this is so, it is a bit like saying a research paper reporting that "high energy collisions with the human body cause injury" can't be linked to motor vehicle accidents, and so there's no need for anyone to worry about cars hitting people. The link to turbines is self-evident and unambiguous through the range of frequencies under consideration. The paper provides food for further research thought in direct respect of wind turbines.
