Lander 1

Claire Lander

Ms. Woelke

AP English Language

16 November 2019

What do Those Big Fans do?

You’re riding on the freeway home and you spot these futuristic wind-mill looking

devices. You may not have known it then, but one of those devices alone could produce 5.2

million KWh a year, powering nearly 600 homes (Source B). Wind turbines should be

established everywhere because of their clean renewable energy, but there are a few factors that

one should keep in mind when establishing these machines including their blaring noise, they’re

quite the eyesore to some, and the weather’s unpredictability.

When looking at a wind turbine, it seems inevitable that sound would be produced from

the huge fan-like implement. When looking into owning wind turbines, owners must keep in

mind the racket the machine produces. Sleep disruption due to wind turbines has been studied by

Daniel Shepherd, a lecturer at the University of Technology in Auckland, New Zealand, which

can become a “‘direct health effect’”(Source C). People love and need their sleep and if wind

turbines interfere with their beloved slumber, some would complain or maybe even move away.

Future owners of wind turbines must think about the radius of where they are placing these

devices and consider the noise that may disturb neighbors. Wind turbines stand at staggering 400

feet, as seen in Source A, which can “be seen from several miles away” (Source E). Both sources

present the fact that these huge “fans” are seen very easily, in which they have the ability of

spreading their sound even farther with their massive propellers. Companies and individuals
 Lander 2

should keep in mind the size of these machines and how much sound they produce and if

residents live close enough to hear the loud swooping of the devices.

As some may know,, wind turbines are 400 feet tall usually with 3 blades measuring

about 120 feet each. They are quite large. They stick out like a sore thumb and one cannot blame

someone if a person thinks they are an eyesore in a community or busy area. It is “impossible to

successfully camouflage turbines” because they are so large, they could not be painted any color

that wouldn't be visible to those who come across them (Source E). Many take pride in making

their residences and community look as nice as can be, but if wind turbines are thrown into the

mix, they would be the most noticeable objects in the area because of how tall they stand. When

planning on placing a wind turbine or wind turbine farm, owners should think about the residents

around the area and should consider placing the fans in a more isolated area. Source A displays

an image of many wind turbines along a mountain range in the desert, without any signs of

human activity. This is a perfect example of a good place to plant the machines, and owners can

check off that it avoids the eyesore factor. A wind turbine farm takes up a lot of space, and

placing the devices in a secluded place helps owners with avoiding possible residents

complaining and they have more space to place additional wind turbines.

Figuring out a space to place wind turbines can be difficult at times, especially when

weather becomes an opposing factor. These machines “can't always run at 100 percent power”

because “wind speeds fluctuate” which makes these devices become “a relatively unreliable

source of energy” (Source B). When finding a place to plant these implements, it is quite hard to

find a place with pretty consistent wind and enough of it to power it’s 120 foot long blades to

make renewable energy. This is a huge factor when owning this equipment and owners will have
 Lander 3

to look into different places to see their wind patterns and make sure it does not fluctuate to

where it comes to their disadvantage. Turbine blades are “slow-moving (20 revolutions per

minute)” and if wind speed slows, the blades will slow as well, causing less energy to be

produced (Source D). Less energy being produced would most likely not please someone who

wants to make a good profit off of wind turbines. It is advised to acknowledge winds speeds in

certain locations when picking a place to plant wind turbines

In conclusion loud noise, wind turbine presentation, and weather reliability are all

important factors when owning a wind turbine. Future wind turbine owners should consider

when establishing their wind turbines or wind turbine farms.