Some quotes from wind turbine neighbors
Several neighbors built new houses next to the mountain while the project was under review; they say they did not know how much it would affect them.
"People bought property here specifically for the silence," said Wendy Todd, whose new house, next to her parents' farmhouse, sits about 2,000 feet from the wind farm.
"It's that wonder-if-your-ears-are-working silence, when you can hear snow falling on your hair. It's the silence I grew up with. And now we're expected to live with a noise like cars going by."
Turbines in more populated areas can also stir complaint. The new, town-operated Hull Wind turbine has won accolades from clean energy advocates. But Khela Thorne of Hingham decried what she described as the constant, dull background noise. "The idea is that you should pipe down and do what's best for everyone," she said, "but it's hard when it bothers you day in and day out."
An idyll lost in turbines' humming The Boston Gobe 2/17/2007
"...pro-wind supporters often say that issues such as turbine noise are just a myth, but those who live with turbines can tell you otherwise. Anyone who says that turbines don't make enough noise to bother anyone is just not being honest. Even one turbine is enough to be heard a mile away. In our case, the turbine is at the edge of the water and in the middle of a very peaceful estuary, so the sound may be more amplified than in most places, but people's noise concerns should not be discounted. And while the noise is an issue, the massive shadow from the turbine is another very upsetting issue, which again, should not be discounted."
Khela Thorne of Hingham, MA Letter to National Wind Watch Regarding Hull II Wind Turbine Jan. 31, 2007