Read and think:1) How is this a world issue?
2) Which of the PEES is this?
3) Do you agree with the ruling? Why or why not?
4) Why is there such a push-back against wind farms?
http://www.thebarrieexaminer.com/2016/02/11/wind-farm-gets-ministry-approval
Mark This Please:
ReplyDeleteI believe wind farms and wind power is a world issue because searching for more environmentally friendly power is vital to the survival of our planet, it is something that several countries have begun to take part in. This issue can be considered as social, environmental and economical. There are a few major issues associated with wind power and wind farms, the first is a social issue: the visual problem. Many people believe that wind turbines are visually unappealing. An environmental issue, as mentioned in the article, is that it is believed that they could be a danger to planes in inclement weather. Along with planes being exposed to danger there have also been many bird and bat deaths caused by the turbines, which is a valid concern for the sake of our wildlife. Aside from fatalities, wind turbines have been known to cause serious erosion within fragile ecosystems, and 4 acres of forest is clear-cut for each turbine. The economic concerns would be the cost of these machines as well as jobs. Despite what has been said wind plants do not provide the “green jobs” they promise, in fact a couple of maintenance and security workers are all that’s needed by functioning wind plants. Along with that, they cost thousands to install.
But despite these issues, I believe that wind power is still a viable source of energy and I do agree with the ruling. I think we can look into ways to prevent issues resulting in animal deaths and plane interactions, and realistically the other environmental issues costs are small compared to the ones we will face if we don’t find a better energy source than fossil fuels.
http://wind-power-problems.org/wind-power-problems.html
I would have to agree with you Courtney! I think that societal issue of the wind turbines being unappealing is just a part of introducing them into our region. Just think about how people felt when power lines were put up; they are very unappealing and so unnatural. I believe that people were very upset but when the process went through, they got used to the power lines. Its funny to think that we see them almost everyday and it doesn’t even phase us! I think the same will happen with the wind turbines. When they are put in, people will dislike them at first, but they will adapt to it.
DeleteWhen I did some research, I discovered that somewhere between 140,000 and 328,000 birds die each year from collisions with wind turbines. (From www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/) But if you put that number into perspective, it’s not as high as you would think. Flying into windows kills an estimated 100 million birds a year and cars kill 100 million birds a year. This means the bird deaths from a wind turbine is only 1/3 of 1 percent of any one of these other sources. Unfortunately, life is full of risk, and if we want to do good for our world, we will have to sacrifice.
I think that we truly need to get energy from a more environmental friendly source, so we can save our world from environmental destruction.
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DeleteI find Britney's comment very interesting. I have never thought to put into perspective the amount of birds dying from wind turbines in relation to car collisions or windows. It really puts into perspective how little (1.33%) the loss is compared to other means.
DeleteWind turbines are a great resource for renewable energy, and of course it has its cons, but these cons do not come close to the negative affects that coal has on the environment. 40% of world-wide energy comes from coal, so i can only imagine the impact that this 'dirty energy' has on our world compared to wind turbines.
In relation to the poor choice of location for these turbines, I think that this decision has to be placed into the hands of hired experts who can determine whether or not the turbines will actually create a problem. Based on the opinion of the airport board, however, i think that it would be best to build wind turbines in more rural regions, where businesses, people, and other major implications such as an airport will not threaten the construction of this clean energy.
I found it interesting and ironic that wind turbines can cause that much damage to the ecosystem when installing. Even so, i still agree that the wind turbines are better than using fossil fuels.
DeleteYou created great discussion with your post. Well done.
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ReplyDeleteMark This: Electricity is essential for humans on a daily basis, and necessary for survival depending on the climate of the area you live in. As the global population is expanding it is essential that we find more eco-friendly ways of creating energy. Luckily there are several researchers looking for a solution to this problem, one of whom was Charles F. Brush who invented the world's first wind turbine. This revolutionary invention is operating in several areas around the world to prevent the burning of fossil fuels in order to gain energy. This is a great solution to the world issue that is the creation of energy. This is such a large issue because when fossil fuels are burned we release harmful pollutants into our atmosphere such as: sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, carbon dioxide, particulate matter, and carbon monoxide. These gases being released into our atmosphere leave us with serious environmental complications including acid rain and smog. The issues that come with the burning of fossil fuels environmental and economic. Thankfully with wind turbines we are able to harvest the energy from wind in a safe way without severe environmental consequences. Planning on implementing wind turbines in Simcoe County is a great idea and would benefit our community greatly.However the location of the wind turbine is where we encounter some issues. The location in which they plan on building these wind turbines near Collingwood Regional Airport. This is such an issue because it poses as a threat towards pilots flying in inclement weather and to young pilots learning to fly. For this reason I am against the ruling, it is not worth the risk. If a plane ever came in contact with a turbine not only may there be fatalities, but also some environmental emergencies. This would cause more of a negative impact on our environment than even having wind turbines in the first place. This is the reason that there is such a big push-back against wind farms. The most difficult part of having wind turbines is finding a location suitable for them. Many people also complain about how they look and how they can cause headaches. So it needs to be a large open area on solid ground away from any air-traffic and communities. This is somewhat difficult to do in Simcoe County. In my opinion I believe that the government should give money to very rural communities in order for them to implement wind turbines there. Though it is hard to change our habits it is absolutely necessary to do because this is the world that we are inheriting from our parents. We need to step up and make change and put an end to the burning of fossil fuels.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.ec.gc.ca/energie-energy/default.asp?lang=En&n=1F4E5D8A-1
http://www.thirdplanetwind.com/energy/history.aspx
I agree that it is absolutely crucial we change our habits in the production of electricity. There is no reason that with today's technology we can not have clean energy. Unfortunately, oil is big business and until someone figures out a way to make a bigger profit on clean energy than on oil, we are going to see little to no change. Greed is overpowering. It is not the citizens who are against this clean energy. It's a shame that the wind turbines could not have been placed in another place in Collingwood. I think the wind turbines are a brilliant way to allow our lifestyles to continue without having such a negative impacts on our planet.
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Deletei agree with Sam that this is an important issue from a environmental standpoint. One point that i disagree with is the safety issue. the turbines are over 3km away and shouldn't be any sort of risk. pilots are trained to maneuver around skyscrapers while landing and taking off all of the time. 8 wind turbines should not be an issue at all
Deletei agree with Sam that this is an important issue from a environmental standpoint. One point that i disagree with is the safety issue. the turbines are over 3km away and shouldn't be any sort of risk. pilots are trained to maneuver around skyscrapers while landing and taking off all of the time. 8 wind turbines should not be an issue at all
DeleteGood post.
DeletePlease mark this:
ReplyDeleteI am a strong believer in wind energy, and I don't understand why some people don't feel the same! An argument posed in this article was that the 137m tall wind turbines will be in the way of the flight zone near the airport. While I believe that the safety of planes is very important, I can argue that the average skyscraper is 150m tall and closer than 3.1km to airports all over the world. If the pilots in training can't handle to fly around a wind turbine 3.1km away from the airport, how will they learn to handle buildings in big cities?
A second argument is the visual appeal of a wind turbine. However, these wind turbines are put up of farm land away from town cores. This means that they are not a commonly seen eye sore. Also, I fail to see how a wind turbine is any different than our dream catcher downtown. They both stand above the horizon and they both move with the wind, so what is the big difference? Plus, the wind turbines are making energy when they move!
Just these 8 turbines that have been approved will provide power for 2276 homes! That's more homes than I have friends! Which means that these turbines provide a significant amount of energy, each one fuels more than 284 homes each.
Wind turbines are a clean source of energy and they will help us offset the coal burning that has happened and they will reduce over use of fossil fuels. Fossil fuels is a world problem and wind is providing a solution to this problem. Instead of burning fossil fuels and polluting our environment we can harvest energy from the sun and the wind. The Samsung project alone feeds 25000 homes with pure, clean solar energy. That's 25000 homes that no longer need to use fossil fuels for the energy in their homes.
Unlike fossil fuels, which are running out, there will ALWAYS be wind. For as long as the earth rotates, there will always be wind to be turned to energy. Wind energy is a sustainable source of energy that will make our country a cleaner place. If that's not enough to start to like wind energy, it's also cheaper than fossil fuel energy. For the same amount of energy, you will pay less if it is solar energy. I like saving money, shouldn't everyone?
Finally, wind turbines and solar energy create more jobs in Ontario. When the economy is struggling, wind is giving us chances to gain job positions. From the people who work to make contracts with companies to the people who do the soil testings and footings to the people who build the turbines, there are countless job opportunities. This is obviously a political war in Ontario between the MPP and followers that don't want the turbines and the government that approved the turbines. Economically I think wind turbines will create more jobs and money for Ontario citizens than it will cost by a long shot. Environmentally, wind is a much superior energy source than fossil fuels and basically uses what earth naturally gives us to turn to energy. Socially this is a huge debate, but all in all I fully agree with wind energy and I think I have just provided many facts for everyone to see the positive values of solar energy.
"Skyscaper." Wikipedia. Jan. 2016. Web. 20 Feb. 2016. .
"Advantages and challenges of wind energy." ENERGY.GOV. n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2016.
Corners, Nelles. "Samsung grand renewable energy park." Stantec. n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2016.
I agree that wind energy is a great source of energy, provides to thousands, and is helping the Earth by reducing the burning of our fossil fuels. The location, however, is not the greatest location, but any problems faced with this single runway are avoidable. For example, an airport has more then 1 runway, so people training can train on another runway if the fear of hitting a turbine is too great. Also, piolets are supposed to be trained to deal with bad weather and so they should be capable of maneuvering around the turbines. Overall, I think that wind turbines are a great idea and it will make a positive impact on the environment.
DeleteI agree with Rianne and Lindsay. I think that the positives of wind energy by far outweigh the negatives. people concerned about the not appealing look the turbines frustrates me because these are helping our environment immensely and i think that the effects of global warming will be a lot uglier than a wind turbine. I think that the wind turbines need to be placed strategically. If the pilots and trained professionals find concern in the placement then I think that is a problem. The safety of the planes and people aboard need to be taken into consideration. There are many other locations these turbines can be placed that leave people feeling safe.
DeleteI agree with Rianne and Lindsay. I think that the positives of wind energy by far outweigh the negatives. people concerned about the not appealing look the turbines frustrates me because these are helping our environment immensely and i think that the effects of global warming will be a lot uglier than a wind turbine. I think that the wind turbines need to be placed strategically. If the pilots and trained professionals find concern in the placement then I think that is a problem. The safety of the planes and people aboard need to be taken into consideration. There are many other locations these turbines can be placed that leave people feeling safe.
DeleteI agree with Rianne, Lindsay and Bronwyn. There are some negative impacts to wind energy like bird deaths, but there are many positives to it as well. It is a cleaner source of energy than say fossil fuels. I believe wind power is a great idea for an energy alternative.
DeleteI think it is a matter of NIMBY. Not in my back yard.
DeleteI disagree with your opinion the risk of airplanes and high rise buildings. The Federal Aviation Association recommends that buildings over 200 ft be more than 10,000 ft away from the runway. Sure there are buildings near popular airports, but they are planned to be in safe locations and there's also more traffic control to help navigate in poor weather. The article states that pilots are worried about them being in bad spots and I would pick their, experienced, opinion over Kathleen Wynne.
ReplyDeletehttps://oeaaa.faa.gov/oeaaa/external/portal.jsp
I agree that wind turbines are a great sources of renewable energy, but I am against their location.
I disagree with your opinion the risk of airplanes and high rise buildings. The Federal Aviation Association recommends that buildings over 200 ft be more than 10,000 ft away from the runway. Sure there are buildings near popular airports, but they are planned to be in safe locations and there's also more traffic control to help navigate in poor weather. The article states that pilots are worried about them being in bad spots and I would pick their, experienced, opinion over Kathleen Wynne.
ReplyDeletehttps://oeaaa.faa.gov/oeaaa/external/portal.jsp
I agree that wind turbines are a great sources of renewable energy, but I am against their location.
10,000 feet is 3030.3m which is 3.03km which is almost the exact same as where the turbines will be.
DeleteThis is definitely a very controversial discussion. I am on the fence about this situation. I have heard a lot of negative things about wind turbines, the fact that you need a lot of wind, how they are built and with what products, how many birds they do kill and how effective they are among other things. I have also heard many good things about them, that they are a reusable energy resource, and we need to find new ways to produce electricity, because we are running out. i see outweighs to both sides of this issue. I just know my opinion is neither for or against this problem.
ReplyDeleteMark This:
ReplyDeleteThis is a world issue because we will run out of oil and coal at some point and it is not cost effective to synthesize either, so we will need some other way to generate energy. I am strongly opposed to wind turbines becoming the source of our energy because they are inefficient, costly and too many people very ugly. The article brings up another issue that issue being planes if a wind farm is too close to an airport, as is the issue in this article; it could then pose a danger to pilots in training. I am 100% against the ministry’s decision to build the turbines for many reasons. First the town doesn’t want them there that should be more than enough reason to abandon the project, second it could pose a danger to pilots, and third I don’t want my tax dollars funding a giant waste of money. I do understand the desire people have to stop using oil or coal because it is not endless, but wind is not the way to do it. Nuclear power is a far better green alternative to solar, wind or geothermal as it poses no threat of damaging the environment because modern reactors can’t melt down and they actually generates electricity.
Sources: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2808868/Wind-farms-never-lights-Study-claims-turbines-expensive-deeply-inefficient.html
http://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/safety-and-security/safety-of-plants/safety-of-nuclear-power-reactors.aspx
Most certainly the energy crisis has become a world issue however I disagree that nuclear is better than wind energy. The reality of it is most countries are capable of building wind farms, which is far simpler than a nuclear power plant. Globally nuclear has diminished and is expected to continue to diminish for the next several years. Simply put "wind energy is growing rapidly while nuclear is going backwards". the small annoyances that we will encounter with wind turbines (birds and the unappealing designs) is the concession that we must make for the betterment of of future.
Deletehttp://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2014/08/22/which-is-more-scalable-nuclear-energy-or-wind-energy/#61201c6f607d
Great response and post.
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ReplyDeletemark this one
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the article, it is safe to say that this is a world issue. A single wind turbine can generate enough renewable energy for hundreds of homes. With the environment being polluted more and more each day, Wind turbines provide a great and green alternative to powering our cities. All of the arguments used against the turbines in the article were weak. with their biggest point being pilot safety. with the closest turbine being 3.1km away from the runway, a slight change in flight paths would fix this issue entirely.
This is a Political, and Environmental issue. it is a Political issue because the provincial government was the one that made the decision to put in the wind turbines. the municipal government doesn’t want to have to rezone the area near the airport and also thinks they are a public safety issue. This is an environmental issue for the obvious fact that having the Wind turbines would be a great step in the right direction for the use of renewable energy in communities across canada. Preventing environmentally friendly initiatives is not only illogical but immoral in that destroying the environment hurts everyone on earth.
yes, i agree with the ruling in favor of building 8 wind turbines. This is because the wind turbines generate an enormous amount of renewable energy and the pilots can change their flight paths easily to avoid a crash.
There is such a push-back on wind farms for a couple reasons. one of them is the noise that they create. another reason is people see them as an eyesore. both of these arguments don’t stand because firstly, the sound generated could be compared to a busy road or highway which people live beside completely fine. as for the argument that they are an eyesore, i think seeing a couple turbines in the distance is a lot better than the polluted cesspool earth will become if we don’t take action against climate change.
here is an article about wind turbines:
http://energyinformative.org/wind-energy-pros-and-cons/
I think it is a case of Not in my back yard (Nimby)
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ReplyDeleteMark please!: This article basically talked about how wind turbines are going to be built near the Collingwood airport and will be a pilot and public safety issue. Wind is a renewable energy and although wind is free, it can be unpredictable so the availability of it unpredictable meaning there may be too much wind or too little. It’s a political issue because the ministry approved the project even though the people of the town were clearly against it. Mayor Chris Vanderkruys said, “The provincial government doesn’t listen at all. They do what they want.” It’s an economy issue because people complain that the cost for the turbines to be built is a lot but wind energy is growing fast as an energy source all around the world so prices are expected to decrease even more since 1980. It’s an environmental issue because it interferes with the safety of pilots and the conditions of flying. But is also a good impact on the environment because it's a clean energy source. Finally, it’s a social issue because of the pros and cons and different opinions on whether or not they should be built. Most people complain that they’re too ugly and too noisy or people complain about the cost too. In my opinion, I can see both sides of the issue. I initially was opposed to wind turbines becoming a new main source of energy but after reading the posts from my classmates above, I've changed my perspective. They need a lot wind but the pro about them is how they would greatly decrease the burning of fossil fuels so the positive impact on the environment is pretty nice. The big argument in the article though is the safety of pilots. Yes, they should get used to rough flying situations like my classmates have said but that shouldn't be a reason to purposely build the wind turbines so close to the airport. I think there’s maybe such a push-back against wind farms because of the controversial discussion for and against the development of wind farms. People are trying too hard to find the perfect source of energy and looking too close at the negative impacts on new ideas, such as wind farms.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nrcan.gc.ca/energy/renewables/wind/7299
http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/wind-power-profile/
Interesting that airplanes (mainly jet planes) are a large contributor to pollution.
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