Wind turbines are a controversial renewable energy source with many people complaining that the turbines are an eyesore that ruin the countryside. It now appears that wind turbines are also a form of noise pollution – at least according to one British council.

Two years ago, Stephen Munday spent £20,000 on putting a wind turbine up in his home in Oxfordshire, England, ensuring that the 40 foot high turbine was within the noise levels set down by the district council.

Unfortunately, his neighbours were not so enthusiastic about his wind turbine and complained to the council that the noise of the turbine was annoying. The council agreed and issued Mr Munday with a Noise Abatement Order, an order which says that the turbine has to be switched off.

The turbine itself is situated 164 feet away from the nearest neighbour’s house and Mr Munday claims that the turbine is quieter than birdsong when it is in operation. Before he was ordered to switch it off, the turbine was generating around five kilowatts per day – about two-thirds of the energy needs of his household, saving around £500 a year in electricity.

Mr Munday appealed the decision but the court upheld the order leaving Mr Munday with a £5,392 tab.

The council have said that although the noise from the wind turbine doesn’t noise levels in the planning application, the character of the noise of the turbine is ‘a nuisance’ which affected neighbour’s ability to rest and relax. The council also pointed out that there are no overall noise limits and each case is looked at on an individual basis.

The wind industry trade body has said that over 10,000 small wind turbines have been setup in the past four years with more expected in the near future.

It is questionable how much of a saving wind turbines really are for those who have them. Using Mr Munday as an example: costing £20,000 to install and saving £500 a year means that the wind turbine only helps the family ‘break even’ on their spend after 40 years, assuming that the turbine was bought outright and not with a loan. With question marks over whether a wind turbine will actually last in excess of 40 years, many believe that wind turbines are definitely not the future of renewable energy in the UK.

You might also be interested in reading:
Wind Turbines: Are they really a viable solution?
Residential wind turbines – not worth the money?

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