Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Whitfield Aslund, Melissa L.
• Ollson, Christopher A.
• Knopper, Loren D.

Titel

Projected contributions of future wind farm development to community noise and annoyance levels in Ontario, Canada

Ist Teil von

• Energy policy, 2013-11, Vol.62, p.44-50

Ort / Verlag

Kidlington: Elsevier Ltd

Erscheinungsjahr

2013

Link zum Volltext

Quelle

PAIS Index

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Wind turbines produce sound during their operation; therefore, jurisdictions around the world have developed regulations regarding the placement of electricity generating wind farms with the intent of preventing unacceptable levels of ‘community noise’ in their vicinity. However, as survey results indicate that the relationship between wind turbine noise and annoyance may differ from noise-annoyance relationships for other common noise sources (e.g., rail, traffic), there are concerns that the application of general noise guidelines for wind turbines may lead to unacceptably high levels of annoyance in communities. In this study, previously published survey results that quantified wind turbine noise and self-reported annoyance were applied to the predicted noise levels (from turbines and transformers) for over 8000 receptors in the vicinity of 13 planned wind power developments in the province of Ontario, Canada. The results of this analysis indicate that the current wind turbine noise restrictions in Ontario will limit community exposure to wind turbine related noise such that levels of annoyance are unlikely to exceed previously established background levels of noise-related annoyance from other common noise sources. This provides valuable context that should be considered by policy-makers when evaluating the potential impacts of wind turbine noise on the community. •Wind turbine noise-annoyance relationship used to predict annoyance in Ontario.•Noise annoyance predicted to be <8% for non-participants <1km from turbines.•Predicted levels of wind turbine noise annoyance similar to that from traffic noise.•Wind turbine noise annoyance not expected to exceed existing background levels.