th International Meeting on Low Frequency Noise and Vibration and its Control

Wind turbines produce low frequency sounds, but it has not been shown this is a major factor contributing to annoyance. Sound from wind turbines involves several sound production mechanisms related to different interactions between the turbine blades and the air. Low frequency sound is predominantly the result of the displacement of air by a blade and of turbulence at the blade surface. An important contribution to the low frequency part of the sound spectrum may be the result of the sudden variation in air flow the blade encounters when it passes the tower: the angle of attack of the incoming air suddenly deviates from the angle that is optimized for the mean flow. This effect probably has not been considered important as the blade passing frequency is of the order of one hertz where human hearing is very insensitive. This argument however obscures a very relevant effect: the low blade passing frequency modulates well audible, higher frequency sounds and thus creates periodic sound. This effect is stronger at night because in a stable atmosphere there is a greater difference between rotor averaged and near-tower wind speed. Measurements have shown that more turbines can interact to further amplify this effect. The effect is confirmed by residents near wind turbines who mention the same common observation: often late in the afternoon or in the evening the turbine sound changes to a more 'clapping' or 'beating' sound, the rhythm in agreement with the blade passing frequency. It is clear from the observations that this is associated to a change to a higher atmospheric stability. The increased annoyance has not been investigated as such, although there are indications from literature this effect is relevant. It is of increasing relevance as the effect is stronger for modern (that is: tall) wind turbines. Introduction Modern wind turbines have electric power outputs up to 2 MW (increasing now to 5 MW) and have turbine heights of 80 to 100 meters (increasing to 120 m). In the European Union, producing 74% of the wind power in the world, by the end of 2002 23 GW has been installed, and this should increase to the European target of 40 GW for 2010, but already a capacity of 90 GW has been forecasted for that year [1]. As a result of this growth an increasing number of people are living near (projected) wind parks and have reason to inquire and …