Solar Freaking Roadways

[Transient]

There is an interesting report by the World Health Organization linking increased health problems to noise induced annoyance.

https://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0015/105144/WHO_Lares.pdf

And here was a study done comparing quality of health based on distance from a wind turbine.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23117539
Abstract

Industrial wind turbines (IWTs) are a new source of noise in previously quiet rural environments. Environmental noise is a public health concern, of which sleep disruption is a major factor. To compare sleep and general health outcomes between participants living close to IWTs and those living further away from them, participants living between 375 and 1400 m (n = 38) and 3.3 and 6.6 km (n = 41) from IWTs were enrolled in a stratified cross-sectional study involving two rural sites. Validated questionnaires were used to collect information on sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index - PSQI), daytime sleepiness (Epworth Sleepiness Score - ESS), and general health (SF36v2), together with psychiatric disorders, attitude, and demographics. Descriptive and multivariate analyses were performed to investigate the effect of the main exposure variable of interest (distance to the nearest IWT) on various health outcome measures. Participants living within 1.4 km of an IWT had worse sleep, were sleepier during the day, and had worse SF36 Mental Component Scores compared to those living further than 1.4 km away. Significant dose-response relationships between PSQI, ESS, SF36 Mental Component Score, and log-distance to the nearest IWT were identified after controlling for gender, age, and household clustering. The adverse event reports of sleep disturbance and ill health by those living close to IWTs are supported.

It is definitely an effect that needs to be studied further to determine the affect of the proximity of wind turbines to residential areas. Of course always be cognizant of who is administering and who is evaluating any study.

 

[User-E]

Thanks for finding those Transient.

I haven't been exposed to wind turbines other than driving by them when traveling, but I have been exposed to other types of mechanical sounds and noticed similar syptoms after long term exposure. The documentary I watched mentioned the disruptive effects of varying pitch as the turbines speed up and slow down, as opposed to a sound that never changes. I also believe the low frequency sounds affect the fluid in the inner ear, even when there is no audible noise.

 

[papasmerf]

Thanks for finding those Transient.

I haven't been exposed to wind turbines other than driving by them when traveling, but I have been exposed to other types of mechanical sounds and noticed similar syptoms after long term exposure. The documentary I watched mentioned the disruptive effects of varying pitch as the turbines speed up and slow down, as opposed to a sound that never changes. I also believe the low frequency sounds affect the fluid in the inner ear, even when there is no audible noise.

There is no question your body can feel low frequency sounds and does react.

When presenting a sound profile we consider the highs and lows and can even vary the volume or intensity of those that can not be heard.

Yes High or Low frequencies can cause vibrations to the inner ear and through off balance as well as visual perception. OSHA requires hearing protection at 65db but does not address specific frequencies. Because of that sympathetic vibration (that is what you seem to be describing) is not covered in noise protection.

 

[Jasper]

I believe your body reacts more to emissions from burning fossil fuels than from scary windmill vibes.
The ways of extracting oil are becoming dirtier, more expensive and dangerous to the environment as well. Have any wars been fought due to wind or solar power?
:unknw:

 

[papasmerf]

I believe your body reacts more to emissions from burning fossil fuels than from scary windmill vibes.
The ways of extracting oil are becoming dirtier, more expensive and dangerous to the environment as well. Have any wars been fought due to wind or solar power?
:unknw:

Interesting leap

 

[Jasper]

An impossible leap for those who refuse to believe young people are dying simply to maintain our lifestyle.

 

[User-E]

How Solar Will Destroy The Power Companies, In 5 Easy Steps

Barclays recently downgraded the entire U.S. electric utilities sector to "underweight" on the threat posed by widespread adoption of solar-storage. These systems allow homeowners to use rooftop solar panels and a battery to cut all but the figurative emergency backup cord to their local electric grid, putting a severe strain on an industry that has been a defacto monopoly.

The firm's sweeping case focused in large part on debt markets' apparent ignorance to challenge utilities are facing. We wanted to zero in on the astonishingly simple steps that makes Barclays lays out to make shaking up utilities quite possible.

1) Solar prices come down
For the past few years, we have been quietly living through a stunning drop in prices thanks to an unintended loop of massive European subsidies and capacity overexpansion in China. As a result, from 2006 to 2013, photovoltaic panel prices dropped nearly 70%.

The next step is for storage prices to fall too. Cheap storage is key so that people can have power at night, when the sun is down.

Right now, the cost of such systems — about $0.22/kWh is only competitive with retail electricity in Hawaii — the cost of vanilla electricity in California is $0.15/kWh. Barclays says Tesla has single-handedly brought down the cost of batteries over the past few years, from about $1,000/kWh in 2009 to $300/kWh in early 2014. If the company's gigafactory successfully ramps up, costs could plummet.

2) The defection spiral commences
Once the prices for everything get cheap enough, homeowners begin to leave the grid.

There remains huge demand for solar, and as costs continue to fall, the price point will continue to match that sought by ever lighter hued green thumbs. This expanding scale will in turn make it more expensive to stay on the grid, bringing even more customers into the solar-storage orbit. "...Once solar + battery approaches the retail cost of power, its advantage can scale quickly," Barclays says.

3) Utilities flail around in their state capitols seeking relief
We've already seen this in Arizona, where the state's electric utility has spent more than $3 million on a campaign to discourage solar adoption in the state. California utilities also won new surcharges, and SolarCity recently charged them with slow-walking grid connections. Neither will prove more than speedbumps in the long-run, Barclays said. "W hile they may slow the penetration of solar, any relief they offer utilities is likely to be short lived. In Arizona, the fee increases the cost of a rooftop solar installation about 5%. With the costs of solar installations falling about 10% per year, we expect the pace of installations to recover before the end of 2014. While we need more months of data to confirm our view, this may prove to be an example of how quickly the technological/cost curve can overtake regulatory responses."

4) The decommissioning process begins
As demand for baseload generation becomes less consistent, utilities could be forced to replace aging power units earlier than scheduled with more modern and efficient "peakers." This could end up lowering utility margins, as well as bring forward cost loads.

This is the key moment: Utility companies being forced to upgrade their plants in the face of a declining customer base. That's a killer combination.

5) The market turns
In Germany, aggressive subsidies and a move away from nuclear led to an explosion of renewables expansion. Since the beginning of 2010 (though for reasons that go beyond simply that outgrowth), Germany’s two largest utilities had stock price declines of 55-60%, compared with a near 60% gain in the DAX.

https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/solar-destroy-power-companies-5-194826472.html

 

[BEER]

Who is leaping?


Only on my 8th.