Life among windmills

Editor,
Recently, I've been reading letters and articles about the current development of wind energy in western P.E.I.
When I heard that three wind turbines were to be built behind my home, I told myself that I would keep an open mind about it all. With all the negative publicity from a small number of people, I thought I should share my opinion and experiences about living among the West Cape wind farm.
Questions about noise seem to be the first to be asked. Personally, I've found that the wind is far noisier than the turbine itself, but on a very calm day, if you're outside and paying very close attention, a whisper can be heard, but certainly nothing to get excited about.
Another concern is a blinking light located on the top of the turbine keeping people up at night. This light is 12 inches in diameter, 320 ft. in the air and is used as a warning for aircraft. It works very well - during my morning bicycle drive, I have yet to see any downed aircraft or any birds which have come into contact with the blades. These lights have not disrupted my sleep at all, let alone to the point of purchasing windowblinds.
The economic benefits of such a project are staggering. This particular project has amassed 105,000 man hours at a higher than average wage. These companies hired locals, valued their hard work, and now some of these people have good careers travelling the world assembling wind farms. Car rentals, accommodations, restaurants have all enjoyed little bumps in sales while other areas of the Island have seen economic downturns.
We're all aware of growing global energy needs and the environmental impact of nuclear facilities, natural gas and coal electricity generation. The environmental benefits of a wind farm far outweigh any slight impact. A single windmill sits on an 18-ft. diameter tube, generates between 1.8 and three megawatts and will offset 220,000 tonnes of CO2 per year plus save a little over 7,500 barrels of crude. With P.E.I. being the most ecologically sensitive province, it makes sense to develop this energy here rather than purchase it from a natural gas generation station out of province.
Wind energy has the potential to be a major industry for the Island; it's both clean and abundant. Historically, there will always be some who are resistant to change, similar to the coming of the automobile, when small groups resisted for fear of the cars spooking the horses and foxes!
Living in West Cape now has proved to me to be no different than it was before the wind farm. I applaud the careful development of this industry and encourage people to embrace it.
Lionel Livingstone,
West Cape