This series of posts “wind energy questions” is aimed at dealing with questions, statements and rumours people come out with when talking about wind turbines. The first in this series is the effect of wind turbines on animals and below is an example of a statement made by a member of the public at a wind farm exhibition:
“The vibrations from wind turbines will scare the snakes out of the grass and into my house petrifying my wife”.
I have now stood under hundreds of turbines and I have never felt any vibration. The sheep that shelter behind the wind turbine towers and the horses that nibble on the caps that cover the bolts don’t seem to be too bothered either.
The YouTube video below shows Daisy the Cow and friends happily sharing their field with wind turbines.
Bob Bridges
October 17th, 2008
We have a 6Kw Proven windturbine on our farm near Lands End in Cornwall. Last year it made 16000Kw. By the time we paid for our electricity when the wind was not blowing, received our ROCs and were paid for what we had supplied to the grid, we were about £200 in credit. The turbine cost £18000 which was reduced to £13000 by a £5000 government grant which I believe has now been discontinued but instead the government has increased the ROCs (Renewable Obligation Certificates) from £45 per 1000Kws to £90 which will help us a lot. As for animals being frightened by windturbines, we have over twenty horses, eight Llamas, fourteen sheep and four cows and they take no notice whatsoever, in fact, it makes them bullet proof.