2010年10月6日水曜日

The Silence of a Wind Turbine

The people in today's NY Times (Oct 5) who don't like the noise of their wind turbine apparently do not know where to shop for a good one.

The article claims they couldn't stand the noise after its first ten minutes of operation. I know one that has been operating for ten years, and you can't hear it at all. It powers a small community on an island near Okinawa, and even if you stand right next to it, all you hear is the birds chirping, voices wafting from a coffee shop nearby, and the hum of a car or two on the road that passes the turbine. You can't hear the windmill, even if you press your ear against the tower. (which I did)

Don't blame the turbine for noise; blame the manufacturer.

Quiet ones do exist.