Acoustic noise associated with the MOD-1 wind turbine: its source, impact, and control

Kelley, Neil; McKenna, H.E.; Hemphill, R. R.; Etter, C. L.; Garrelts, R. L.; Linn, N. C.

doi:10.2172/5875386

Cited by 28 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…According to Cooper, two residents were clearly more sensitive than the other four; the sensations experienced by the residents seemed to be more related to a reaction to the operation of the wind turbines than to the sound or vibration of the wind turbines. This echoes earlier findings from Kelley [121] who investigated complaints, from two residences, that were thought to be associated with strong low-frequency sound pulses from the experimental downwind MOD-1 wind turbine. The low-frequency sound pulses were generated when a turbine blade passed the wind wake behind the mast.…”

Section: Effect Of Vibrationssupporting

confidence: 88%

Health Effects Related to Wind Turbine Sound, Including Low-Frequency Sound and Infrasound

Kamp

Berg

2017

Acoust Aust

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A narrative review of observational and experimental studies was conducted to assess the association between exposure to wind turbine sound and its components and health effects in the general population. Literature databases Scopus, Medline and Embase and additional bibliographic sources such as reference sections of key publications and journal databases were systematically searched for peer-reviewed studies published from 2009 to 2017. For the period until early 2015 only reviews were included, while for the period between January 2015 and January 2017 all relevant publications were screened. Ten reviews and 22 studies met the inclusion criteria. Most studies examined subjective annoyance as the primary outcome, indicating an association between exposure levels and the percentage highly annoyed. Sound from wind turbines leads to a higher percentage of highly annoyed when compared to other sound sources. Annoyance due to aspects, like shadow flicker, the visual (in) appropriateness in the landscape and blinking lights, can add to the noise annoyance. There is no evidence of a specific effect of the low-frequency component nor of infrasound. There are indications that the rhythmic pressure pulses on a building can lead to additional annoyance indoors. Personal characteristics such as noise sensitivity, privacy issues and social acceptance, benefits and attitudes, the local situation and the conditions of planning a wind farm also play a role in reported annoyance. Less data are available to evaluate the effects of wind turbines on sleep and long-term health effects. Sleep disturbance as well as other health effects in the vicinity of wind turbines was found to be related to annoyance, rather than directly to exposure.

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Section: Effect Of Vibrationssupporting

confidence: 88%

Health Effects Related to Wind Turbine Sound, Including Low-Frequency Sound and Infrasound

Kamp

Berg

2017

Acoust Aust

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“…This figure is very close to that found by Kelley [64] and his colleagues cited above, although the true figure may well be higher. The authors observed that epidemiological research on low frequency noise is scarce and suffers from methodological shortcomings.…”

Section: Public Health's Responsibilitiessupporting

confidence: 90%

“…If Public Health doctors actually visited the families who have been forced to abandon their homes they might demand to see the necessary studies conducted. They would learn that some of the worst affected are small children who are very often put in the smaller bedrooms which are worst impacted by noise [64]. There is also the intriguing possibility that if Infrasound is conducted through the skin [54], young children will receive a larger dose because their surface area is greater in relation to their volume in comparison to adults.…”

Section: Public Health's Responsibilitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental Noise Pollution: Has Public Health Become too Utilitarian?

Evans¹

2017

JSS

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Environmental noise pollution is an ever-increasing problem. The various sources: Aircraft, Road Traffic and Wind Farms are reviewed, but the latter source, because of the intrusive, impulsive and incessant nature of the sound emitted, is the major focus of this review. Wind turbines produce a range of sound but it is the Infrasound and low frequency noise which deserves special attention. Infrasound is considered to be below the range of human hearing so it is not measured in routine noise assessments in the wind farm planning process. There is, however, evidence that many can register it and a sizeable minority is sensitive, or becomes sensitised to it. The actual route of transmission still requires elucidation. The net effect of the entire range of noise produced is interference with sleep and sleep deprivation. Sleep, far from being a luxury is vitally important to health and insufficient sleep, in the long term, is associated with a spectrum of diseases, particularly Cardiovascular. The physiological benefits of sleep are reviewed, as is the range of diseases which the sleep-deprived are predisposed to. Governments, anxious to meet Green targets and often receiving most of their advice on health matters from the wind industry, must commission independent studies so that the Health and Human Rights of their rural citizens is not infringed. Public Health, in particular, must remember its roots in Utilitarianism which condoned the acceptance of some Collateral Damage provided that the greatest happiness of the greatest number was ensured. The degree of Collateral Damage caused by wind farms should be totally unacceptable to Public Health which must, like good government, fully exercise the Precautionary Principle. The types of study which should be considered are discussed. Indeed, the father of Utilitarian Philosophy, Jeremy Bentham, urged that government policy should be fully evaluated.

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“…If the presence of the tower is important for noise generation, then research may be needed to investigate possible modifications to the tower construction, such as changing the tower from a solid cylinder to a structure that is much less effective in allowing the air between the blade and tower to be compressed as the blade passes (for example, a lattice-type tower used for high voltage power lines [31]). Lattice towers were used to support the downwind turbines of the 1980s [1], and the interaction of the turbine blades with the flow disruption caused by the support legs was considered to be responsible for the thumping noise that residents complained of. However, for upwind turbines, there is no wake problem but there exists a wind velocity deficit in the vicinity of the support tower that leads to the generation of impulsive aerodynamic noise as discussed above.…”

Section: Mechanisms and Control Of Wind Turbine Noise Generationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The location of the tower upwind of the rotor resulted in very turbulent flow being incident on the turbine blades which, in turn, resulted in the generation of thumping sounds as the blades passed close to a leg of the tower that generated the flow disturbance. The thumping noise disturbed nearby residents and caused cause rattling of dishes and annoyance for a number of residents living within 3 km of a single turbine [1]. Some residents reported feeling the sound more than hearing it, which resulted in a sensation of uneasiness and personal disturbance.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent Advances in Wind Turbine Noise Research

Hansen

2020

Acoustics

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This review is focussed on large-scale, horizontal-axis upwind turbines. Vertical-axis turbines are not considered here as they are not sufficiently efficient to be deployed in the commercial generation of electricity. Recent developments in horizontal-axis wind turbine noise research are summarised and topics that are pertinent to the problem, but are yet to be investigated, are explored and suggestions for future research are offered. The major portion of recent and current research on wind turbine noise generation, propagation and its effects on people and animals is being undertaken by groups in Europe, UK, USA, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. Considerable progress has been made in understanding wind turbine noise generation and propagation as well as the effect of wind farm noise on people, birds and animals. However, much remains to be done to answer many of the questions for which answers are still uncertain. In addition to community concerns about the effect of wind farm noise on people and how best to regulate wind farm noise and check installed wind farms for compliance, there is considerable interest from turbine manufacturers in developing quieter rotors, with the intention of allowing wind farm installations to be closer to populated areas. The purpose of this paper is to summarise recent and current wind farm noise research work and the research questions that remain to be addressed or are in the process of being addressed. Topics that are the subject of on-going research are discussed briefly and references to recent and current work are included.

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Acoustic noise associated with the MOD-1 wind turbine: its source, impact, and control

Cited by 28 publications

References 6 publications

Health Effects Related to Wind Turbine Sound, Including Low-Frequency Sound and Infrasound

Health Effects Related to Wind Turbine Sound, Including Low-Frequency Sound and Infrasound

Environmental Noise Pollution: Has Public Health Become too Utilitarian?

Recent Advances in Wind Turbine Noise Research

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