Wind farms do more harm than good

AS a dedicated campaigner against wind farms, I was amazed to see a wind farm developer, Brian Britton, trying to promote his product by focusing on offshore wind turbines only (Letters, September 18).

Land-based wind turbines are not even mentioned. The fact is that wind power is ineffective or, at best, 20%-25% effective with four or five turbines needed to do what one turbine should do.

And that’s before we even consider the adverse effects of land-based industrial turbines on our health and quality of life, on our environment, on property prices and indeed on tourism.

The reason why offshore wind farms in Ireland are ranking way behind EU member states is because developers took the much cheaper option of constructing land-based wind farms which are now ruining our unique scenery and the lives of those who are forced to live near the turbines.

While everything possible must be done to save our environment, the findings of international research indicate increasingly that wind is not a viable alternative.

It appears this industry does more harm than good to our environment, even offshore. According to the latest studies of the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, the acoustic impact of pile-driving during offshore wind farm construction can be heard by marine creatures up to 50 miles away, causing hearing damage and dramatic behavioural changes.

And the laying of cables and disturbance from service vessels will continue to cause damage even after the construction of the turbines.

In the desperate efforts to save our environment, it is very easy to be taken in by the propaganda of ‘experts’ who claim to have perfect solutions. Close scrutiny will reveal that some of these solutions are far more beneficial to developers than to our environment. This certainly appears to be the case with the wind industry.

Brigitte Schorn

Meeleen

Knockraha

Co Cork