Initially, they applauded the erection of three wind turbines. Now, the inhabitants of Penobscot Bay, Maine, rue the day the $15m wind facility was built a mile from their homes, due to the sheer noise the 123-foot blades make.
The NY Times has looked into the concerns of people from locations such as Penobscot Bay and DeKalb County in Illinois, where wind turbines have resulted in unbearable noise pollution—as well as lost value in properties.
For the Lindgren family of Penobscot Bay, they supported the idea at first, but soon realized after the turbines arrived that their peace and solitude—the reason for moving out of the city—had disappeared.
38 families in the DeKalb County sued the wind farm company, hoping to see the 100 turbines dismantled. Prior to wind farms being built, studies are undertaken to determine the level of noise pollution, but either it's not done well enough, or not enough people complain about the noise once erected. In one case, the noise generated exceeded the sound limits for nights.
But what to do? It'd be so counterproductive to cease building wind turbine farms, but people's health is obviously an important factor when choosing areas. Even in the Mojave Desert, where few people live, a wind and solar farm faced opposition because of the environmental future of the national monuments there.
At least the areas surrounding wind turbines tend to be cooler during the day, and warmer during the night, eh? You win some and lose some, I guess. [NY Times]