The document summarizes potential issues from wind turbines discussed at a community meeting, including shadow flicker, ice throw, fire risks, and need for high angle rescue. Regulations in other jurisdictions limiting shadow flicker to 30 hours per year were presented. Maps showed areas affected by shadow flicker and a proposed municipal bylaw to prohibit all moving shadows beyond a landowner's property. Fire risks to homes and farms from turbines without adequate emergency plans were also discussed. The meeting aimed to raise awareness of these issues and request safety plans from turbine developers.

1. Wind Turbine Impacts on
Neighbours
Community Information Meeting
April 3, 2013

2. Wind Turbine Impacts on
Neighbours
• Topics
– Shadow Flicker
– Ice Throw
– Fire/High Angle Rescue
April 3, 2013 Elma-Mornington Concerned Citizens

3. Shadow Flicker
• Intermittent shadows cast by a moving object
 Daily Impact
 20 – 30 minutes depending on distance
 Sunrise or sunset depending on location
• Extremely annoying
 Interrupts sleep or evenings outdoors
 Difficult to block as caused by a very tall object
 Autistic children are extremely sensitive
April 3, 2013 Elma-Mornington Concerned Citizens

4. European Regulation
Germany 30 hours/year or 8hours/year with cloud cover
England 30 hours/year
N. Ireland 30 hours/year
Belgium 30 hours/year
Ireland 30 hours/year + 30 minutes/day or 10 blade diameter
setback
Scotland 10 blade diameter setback
Spain Regulation not necessary
The Netherlands 5 hours 40 minutes/year
Denmark 10 hours/year with appropriate cloud cover
Canada/USA No regulation
• Simpler definition recommended most of these definitions
need detailed assessments to determine compliance
Note: 30 Hours per Year = 60 to 90 days per year
April 3, 2013 Elma-Mornington Concerned Citizens

5. Area Affected by Shadow Flicker
Turbine
. 8 Blade Diameters
135° West 135° East
April 3, 2013 Elma-Mornington Concerned Citizens

6. Amherst Island Wind Project
Noise and Potential Shadow Flicker
Blue arcs show a radius of 8 blade diameters (0.9 km)
and extend 125 degrees east and west of north.
April 3, 2013 Elma-Mornington Concerned Citizens

7. Municipal By-law Proposed
• North Perth developing a by-law to regulate
shadow flicker
 Prohibit all moving shadows beyond the property
owned by originating landowner
 No allowances for any shadow flicker
 Using ongoing municipality’s power to regulate
‘public nuisances’
 Enforcement triggered by complaint
 Draft coming to Council on April 8
April 3, 2013 Elma-Mornington Concerned Citizens

8. Fire Safety
• Fire do happen in wind turbines
• Project located in a high density rural area and
insufficient separation presents risk to:
– Homes
– Farm buildings/equipment
– Crops/forests
• Invenergy has provided no detailed emergency plans.
Call 911 service or James Murphy in Toronto
• North Perth requested a realistic plan to address fires
in turbines
April 3, 2013 Elma-Mornington Concerned Citizens

9. Burnt Turbine North Of Goderich
April 3, 2013 Elma-Mornington Concerned Citizens

10. Invenergy California Ridge Turbine
April 3, 2013 Elma-Mornington Concerned Citizens

11. High Angle Rescue
• Turbines are work places where accidents and health
incidents will occur and ‘High angle rescue’ services
are needed to extract people from these locations
• Not available in North Perth or Perth East; and
delivery from urban centres will not meet required
response times
• Not realistic to upgrade local emergency services to
deliver services.
• North Perth requested a realistic plan to address high
angle rescue plan for the turbines
April 3, 2013 Elma-Mornington Concerned Citizens

12. Ice Throw From Turbine Blades
• Dr. John Harrison, Queens University
– “Consultant models make no sense”
• Ice does not come away in cube shapes
• The drag force does not act on the front face
• The amount of ice is under-estimated
• Modeled Realistic Conditions
– Ice in thin sheets
– Sheet aligns with speed relative to the air
– Drag force acts over the plane surfaces
– Drag force opposes the relative motion
– There is a wind-speed gradient
April 3, 2013 Elma-Mornington Concerned Citizens

13. Projected Maximum Ice Throw
Results Parallel Safety Zones Recommended by Equipment Manufacturers
April 3, 2013 Elma-Mornington Concerned Citizens

14. Ice Throw Concerns
• Ice throw will happen and will affect snowmobilers
and hunters using properties around turbines
• Automated shutdown triggered after ice thrown
from one blade
• Provincial standard insufficient – 10 metres plus
blade length = 60 meters from property lines
• Equipment manufacturer specify safety zones of
about 450 metres – extend beyond leased property
• Safety plan requested to address issue throw
• Issue can be raised by neighbouring property owners
April 3, 2013 Elma-Mornington Concerned Citizens

15. Community Information Meeting
April 3, 2013
Elma-Mornington Concerned Citizens
April 3, 2013 Elma-Mornington Concerned Citizens

16. We Need Your Help
• Sign Letters Before You Leave
– Protect Farmland
– Livestock Producers
– Health Issues
– Atwood Resident
• Write your own letter
• Volunteer
• Take a sign

17. Committee Contacts
North Perth
• Ralph Coneybeare – 519-292-0905
• Cecil Siebenga – 519-356-2844
Perth East
• Gary Elg – 519-635-8043
• Ross Stone - 519-580-3181