Ireland’s High Court ordered the permanent shutdown of three wind turbines because residents living more than a half mile away were suffering sleep loss, stress, anxiety, and a drop in their property’s value due to constant noise, vibration, and shadow flicker. The court also awarded financial damages to the residents.
The case highlights the reality that all forms of energy involve tradeoffs across dimensions of affordability, reliability, and sustainability. Wind can provide an inexpensive source of energy at the right times and places, but it has issues with reliability, and — in some cases — introduces local environmental or social effects.
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