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Oregon wind farm neighbors refuse noise waiver payments, seek buyouts
December 29, 2010A few months back, there was a bit of a news and comment flurry when the Shepherd’s Flat wind farm announced plans to pay neighbors $5000 for noise wavers, in order to build turbines closer to homes than Oregon’s unusually strict 36dB noise limit would allow. While the plan was dissed by many as an […]
Oregon Public Health Division listens to wind farm noise experiences
November 6, 2010The State of Oregon has begun an assessment of possible health effects experienced by wind farm neighbors. The state Public Health Division held “listening sessions” in three communities over the past few days, to hear from citizens. “With any development, you start learning more about potential concerns as more people start experiencing it,” said Sajata Joshi, […]
UK, Denmark to steer away from new land-based wind farms due to noise issues
September 10, 2010Two interesting though not quite definitive (see update at bottom) news reports came across my desk in the past couple of weeks, both of which signal a potentially dramatic shift away from developing new land-based wind farms in Europe. The Energy Minister of the new UK coalition government as well as the CEO of the […]
AEI Exec Director online interview on wind farm noise
September 10, 2010This month’s Renewable Energy World podcasts focuses on a question that AEI has been focusing on for the past couple of years: When is wind energy noise pollution? The short online article summarizes a roughly half-hour audio program that centers on three interviews: one with a Texas rancher, one with a couple in Vinalhaven, Maine, […]
Australia wind farm noise issues spur Senator, acoustician to dig deeper
August 2, 2010Two pieces of wind farm noise news out of Australia this week, both of which address health concerns. Residents near the Waubra wind farm in Victoria, which began operating in February 2009, have been affected by the noise, some to the point where they’ve moved away. A recent report by the federal government health office […]
UK addresses challenges in assessing wind farm noise
May 22, 2010England’s primary environmental agency, the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), has commissioned a study to improve techniques for assessing wind farm noise. “There is a possibility that local authorities are not currently investigating complaints about noise from wind farms due to the absence of any formal technical guidance,” an internal document reads. “Defra […]
Third of a mile setback doesn’t prevent wind turbine noise issues in Falmouth
May 14, 2010When the town-owned wind turbine began operating at the Falmouth, MA wastewater treatment facility in March, most townspeople saw it as the most striking example of the town’s far-reaching commitment to sustainability. Since then, it’s generated about a third of the town’s electricity needs, and a second turbine is being readied for installation nearby this […]
UK: Noise complaints at 37 of 255 wind farms
March 6, 2010Here’s a bit of news that might be spun either way, depending on your predilection. Jane Davis, who was driven from her home by wind farm noise, has been compiling information on English wind farms and noise complaints; she has found that 37 wind farms have spurred some sort of noise complaints nationwide. This amounts […]
NY Congressman on wind farm noise in his district
February 10, 2010This one is a bit old (from last spring), but seems worth pointing to because it provides a somewhat new perspective on the wind farm noise debate. US Congressman Eric Massa represents a district which is at the center of public concern about noise issues, thanks to a proposed wind farm in Plattsburg, not far from […]
New AEI report: Wind Farm Noise, 2009 in Review
February 8, 2010The latest in AEI’s ongoing series of comprehensive special reports on key topics is finally done! This one is modeled on AEI’s acclaimed annual reviews of science and policy developments in ocean noise, but focuses for the first time on wind farm noise issues. The 30-page report covers new research, public concerns, and industry trends […]
Oregon wind farm noise analysis finds limits exceeded
January 28, 2010Two different acoustic studies near the Willow Creek Energy Center in eastern Oregon have found that the state’s wind farm noise ordinance is being violated at several homes nearby. How often and by how much the violations are occurring remains under contention. As reported by the East Oregonian, the commission heard from several acousticians as […]
Ontario assessment board cuts house value in half due to nearby wind farm transformer noise
January 12, 2010In what could be a precedent-setting move, the Ontario Assessment Review Board (ARB) has slashed the taxable value of a house because of noise from a transformer station across the street. The transformer, which site 360 meters (about 1200 feet) from Paul Thompson’s home, produces a constant hum of about 40dB in Thompson’s home. In […]
Community wind project on Maine island faces noise issues collaboratively
December 17, 2009It’s a beautiful idea, come to fruition: in the island communities of Vinalhaven and North Haven, Maine, a local electrical co-op joined forces with a regional nonprofit organization, and built three large wind turbines which would provide the 2,000 households on the island with locally-produced power. On a lovely fall day in November, the largest […]
“Worst case” wind turbine noise may occur 30% of summer/fall nights
December 13, 2009A study by a retired NY State Department of Environment staffer has found that in one community where two new wind farms are planned, “worst case” atmospheric conditions can occur up to 30% of nights in summer and fall, peaking at over 40% of nights in early summer. The wind farms in Cape Vincent are […]
Excellent 3-part series on wind turbine noise in Ontario
December 1, 2009In Dufferin County, Ontario, the Orangeville Banner recently ran a very well-written and balanced three-part series on that region’s ongoing controversies over noise from wind farms. The piece makes very clear both the extent of noise-related disruption felt by some residents (including the first official acknowledgement I’ve seen that the wind farm developer did indeed […]
AEI Updates Special Report on Wind Energy Noise Impacts
November 17, 2009Just a quick note to say that I did the first major update to AEI’s Special Report on wind farm noise today. I added several key new pieces that will be familiar to regular readers of this blog. The report aims for AEI’s typical sweet spot of providing a comprehensive yet concise overview of all […]
Good Overview of Wind Farm Noise Issues in Engineering Magazine
November 5, 2009The Institution of Engineering and Technology magazine has published a very good overview of wind turbine noise issues. The article includes summaries and criticisms of many of the leading researchers on both sides of the issue, including the ongoing (and soon to ramp up) controversies surrounding Nina Pierpont’s “Wind Turbine Syndrome.” Of special note are […]
Recent Studies of Wind Farm Noise Show Significant Minority is Affected
October 30, 2009(This item appeared recently in AEI’s ongoing lay summaries of new research page) The take-away from three new research papers appears to be that while significant proportions of the population – often around 25% – are affected by moderate wind farm noise, neither increasing wind farm noise nor even annoyance with noise lead inevitably to […]
UK, Ontario, Wisconsin Latest Battlegrounds on Wind Turbine Siting, Noise, Health
October 20, 2009A lawsuit in Ontario, an EIS in Wisconsin, and a gauntlet thrown down at an industry confab in England are the latest fronts in a global debate over the noise impacts of wind farms sited close to residences. Most dramatic was the opening plenary at the British Wind Energy Association (BWEA) annual conference, where John […]
Sleep Disturbance Expert Releases Report on Noise Effects Near Wind Farms
August 4, 2009A recently-released report by Dr. Christopher Hanning, a UK MD whose specialty is sleep disorders, takes a comprehensive look at factors affecting sleep disturbance caused by nearby wind farms, and is highly recommended reading for anyone working to develop regulations at the local or state level. Hanning’s primary point is that external noise need not […]
Wisconsin Supreme Court Tosses Local Noise Limit on Windfarms
July 27, 2009In a startling and far-reaching decision, the Wisconsin Supreme Court has ruled that counties cannot issue “blanket” standards for wind farm development, but must assess each project on a case-by-case basis. The ruling invalidated one of the nation’s most precautionary local ordinances, passed in 2008 by Calumet County, but also undermines the logic behind any […]
FWS Wind Farm Siting Recommendations Still Fail to Consider Noise Impacts
June 11, 2009Call me naive, but I never imagined that the Fish and Wildlife Service would make it nearly to the conclusion of its process of developing Siting Recommendations for wind farms without any consideration of the acoustic footprint of these sprawling industrial installations. Of all the possible impacts that large wind farms may have, their acoustic […]
Fish & Wildlife Service Wind Energy Impact Guidelines Ignore Inevitable Noise Effects
May 14, 2009The revised draft of wind energy wildlife impact guidelines released by a US Fish and Wildlife Service Federal Advisory Committee was released in March, and like the first version, contains not a single occurrence of the words “noise” or “acoustic.” The Committee is directed to “recommend effective measures to avoid or minimize impacts to wildlife and their habitats […]
Wind Turbine Active Noise Dampening Could Address Low Frequency Concerns
March 6, 2009A new noise-cancelling system being developed in Germany could help to minimize what has become a major source of concern for residents near wind farms. While some noise-dampening systems are already used in turbines, they are “passive”, meaning that they reduce certain frequencies or sources of vibration noise, but do not respond “actively” to the […]
Wind Farms Continue to Generate Noise Issues
March 4, 2009As towns, counties, and states across America work to establish permitting guidelines for wind farms, reports from many places continue to suggests that noise can be a real issue, especially within a mile of active turbines. In Michigan, a resident near a new wind farm shares this: At 1500 ft, we thought we may be […]