Arguments against wind farms

Against wind farms: Conservation groups and members of local communities near to proposed sites say they are:

Arguments against

An eyesore: The best sites for wind farms are often remote areas and the turbines spoil the natural beauty of the landscape.

Expensive: Currently wind energy not as efficient as fossil fuel or nuclear energy and farms are expensive to set up.

Cause noise pollution: People living close to turbines claim that the low level noise is causing stress-related illness.

Poor consideration of sites: Turbines can cause disruption to TV and radio signals and even the migration of birds when they are not positioned correctly.

Interfere with defence: The Ministry of Defence are concerned that offshore wind farms will interfere with coastal radar systems.

The arguments often come down to whether the potential benefits overshadow the impact on the landscape.

Some people near wind farms believe that most of the benefits are seen by the energy companies (who make a profit from their turbines) and the government (which gets closer to its carbon reduction targets), while the negative affects are all heaped on the local community.