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SILICON SILIC CHIP www.siliconchip.com.au Publisher & Editor-in-Chief Leo Simpson, B.Bus., FAICD Production Manager Greg Swain, B.Sc. (Hons.) Technical Editor John Clarke, B.E.(Elec.) Technical Staff Ross Tester Jim Rowe, B.A., B.Sc Nicholas Vinen Photography Ross Tester Reader Services Ann Morris Advertising Enquiries Glyn Smith Phone (02) 9939 3295 Mobile 0431 792 293 glyn<at>siliconchip.com.au Regular Contributors Brendan Akhurst Rodney Champness, VK3UG Kevin Poulter Stan Swan Dave Thompson SILICON CHIP is published 12 times a year by Silicon Chip Publications Pty Ltd. ACN 003 205 490. ABN 49 003 205 490. All material is copyright ©. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. Printing: Hannanprint, Noble Park, Victoria. Distribution: Network Distribution Company. Subscription rates: $97.50 per year in Australia. For overseas rates, see the order form in this issue. Editorial office: Unit 1, 234 Harbord Rd, Brookvale, NSW 2100. Postal address: PO Box 139, Collaroy Beach, NSW 2097. Phone (02) 9939 3295. Fax (02) 9939 2648. E-mail: silicon<at>siliconchip.com.au ISSN 1030-2662 Recommended and maximum price only. 4  Silicon Chip Publisher’s Letter Wind farms are now recognised as a serious health issue Back in January & February 2010, I wrote consecutive Publisher’s Letters on the controversial topic of wind farms. The first made the point that wind farms are no substitute for base-load power stations. It went on to state that wind farms can cause problems for the electric grid because wind power can be so variable. Because of that, every wind farm needs an expensive gas-fired open-cycle power station to back it up; if the wind drops, the gas-fired generators can be quickly brought on line to make up the deficit. Energy companies love these schemes because while various government mandates mean that wind power must be accepted by the energy distributors at low tariffs (to make the wind farm a viable economic proposition), the gas-fired power is charged at much more costly “peak demand” tariffs. The consumer pays for all of this, of course, all in the name of “being green” and “doing something to mitigate carbon pollution”. Whenever you see a large company or financial institution promoting anything to do with “being green” or being “carbon neutral”, you can be sure there are sound commercial reasons for doing so and probably not out of love for the environment. My second Publisher’s Letter on the topic, in the February 2010 issue, highlighted the fact that wind farms are a blight on the existence of many people living in their vicinity. That was largely pooh-poohed by many people at the time, backed by surveys that basically concluded that “if you can’t hear it, it is not a problem”. Three years later, the picture has changed markedly. Now it is recognised that wind farms can make people sick and that they should not be located close to where people live; not within a kilometre or more, in fact. Furthermore, there have been judgements against new wind farm developments for the above reasons. And just recently, an Australian court has recognised the adverse financial impact of wind farms for neighbours, in that they do reduce property values. Even worse, South Gippsland Shire Council in Victoria has agreed to cut rates for one landowner on the basis that his property would lose value because of an adjacent wind farm that is yet to be built. Other rural municipal councils are very worried about this concession, because it could have serious implications for their overall rate income. All of which makes our project in this month’s issue for measuring infrasonic noise very topical. It is cheap to make and yet can provide test results that previously would have required a suite of test equipment worth tens of thousands of dollars. Yes, we know that such results are probably unlikely to be accepted in a court action against wind farms but they would certainly provide grounds for much more serious investigation. Previously, local action groups have simply been unable to afford the expensive instruments and expertise that investigations into infrasonic energy from wind farms would require. Now, with our Infrasonic Detector project in this issue, they can afford to do some sound-based investigations. Even if you have no interest in wind farms or do not believe that they represent any sort of a health issue, there are good reasons to have a look at this project because it can be used to investigate infrasound in a wide range of settings, in the home, in factories and offices and even in the wide open spaces. Want to investigate the infrasonic mating calls of a crocodile? Our Infrasonic Detector can do it. (Just make sure the crocodile does not come to investigate you!) The Infrasonic Detector will be a great schools’ project. It has the potential to introduce students to a lot of acoustic concepts, as well as featuring two simple PCBs that can be built within a class period. And if it helps stop a few wind farms getting built too close to where people live, so much the better. Leo Simpson siliconchip.com.au