Debunking Myths
There are many myths about wind energy circulated by those opposed to renewable energy in general or wind turbines in particular. Some are so outlandish that it’s hard to imagine people believe them, others are more subtle requiring a degree of technical background to refute. Since I began my career in this field four decades ago I have tried to focus on the facts–both the promise and pitfalls of wind energy. The links below explore these myths and the topics on which some myths are built.
Etwas Luft: The Contours of Misinformation [about Wind Energy]
By
Ketan Joshi
Recently, the Australian Medical Association (AMA) released a comprehensive position statement on the curiously invulnerable issue of ‘wind turbine syndrome’. One phrase from the statement caught my eye, because it goes slightly further than other institutions (like the Victorian Department of Health, the National Health and Medical Research Council, or New South Wales Health), in that it mentions the impact of misinformation:
2014 Annual Windmill-Wildflower Hike Planned for Tehachapi–29th Annual Walk–May 10, 2014
By
Paul Gipe
Tehachapi’s Windmill-Wildflower Hike is one of the longest-running annual walks among wind turbines worldwide. More than 800 people, from children to octogenarians, have taken the six-mile walk across Cameron Ridge since the event was first launched.
RenewableUK: The effect of wind farms on house prices
By
Renewableuk and Cebr
Our analysis of the raw house price data for transactions completed within the vicinity of the wind farms yielded no evidence that prices had been affected by either the announcement, construction or completion of the wind farms for six out of seven sites. . . One site did see a noticeable downturn following the announcement that a wind farm would be built; however once the turbines were erected, local house price growth returned to the county-wide norm.
Property Values? Evidence is that if wind farms do impact them, it’s positively.
By
Mike Barnard
These are real fears of unreal things. They are strongly promoted by anti-wind advocacy groups. It is strongly arguable that anti-wind advocates drive down property prices in the run up to wind farms becoming operational just as they are creating the psychogenic health hysteria, “Wind Turbine Syndrome.:”
Massachusetts Study Finds Property Values Increase Slightly Near Operating Wind Turbines
By
Paul Gipe
In a surprising finding, a joint study by the University of Connecticut andLawrence Berkeley National Laboratory for the Massachusetts Clean …
Relationship between Wind Turbines and Residential Property Values in Massachusetts
By
Paul Gipe
An analysis of more than 122,000 Massachusetts home sales between 1998 and 2012 found no statistically-significant evidence that proximity to a wind turbine affects home values.
