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The last summer was busy one on researches in the field of wind turbine sound, with new developments continuing to cast doubt on anti-wind groups' claims. Perhaps the most telling is a new study from Canada's Pembina Institute, looking at wind farm complaints (or rather, the lack of wind farm complaints) in the province of Alberta, where some of the earliest wind farms in Canada were installed.
In fact, it turned out, while the Alberta Utilities Commission, which regulates electricity in the province, has a 13-year-old database with the records of 31,000 contacts from members of the public, not one of those 31,000 contacts has been about the sound of operating wind turbines.
To unearth evidence of complaints Pembina researchers contacted: operators of existing wind energy projects, Municipalities (municipal districts and counties) where operating wind energy projects are located, local and provincial health authorities.
Only three complaints about operating wind farms came to the seven Alberta municipalities with wind energy projects: one about ice throw that was investigated and dismissed, one about the density of wind turbines offering a terrorism opportunity, and one about noise, which was referred to the operator.
The co-owner of the largest wind farm in Australia, AGL Energy Ltd., released the results of a voluntarily commissioned, detailed study of infrasound and low-frequency sound emissions at its facility. The study, conducted by consulting firm Resonate Acoustics, measured infrasound and low-frequency sound levels at two residences located 1.1 and 1.7 miles from the wind farm--before any turbines were operating, when 105 turbines were operating, and when all 140 machines were running. It found the infrasound and low-frequency sound levels unchanged.
The study conducted by Australian Prof. Simon Chapman of the University of Sydney has revealed the fact that complaints about turbine sound in Australia are heavily focused on areas where anti-wind groups have been conducting public campaigns.
Thus in particular the findings of Prof. Chapman’s work include the following:
Wind farms have been around for many years, but there were no complaints about health effects until 2002, with a large increase (in Australia) in 2009 after anti-wind groups began focusing on the topic.
While anti-wind groups claim that impacts are immediate and long-term, no complaints have been raised about many (65 percent) of the wind farms on the continent.
The number of individuals complaining to date is 129, or approximately 1 of 254 of all residents within 5 kilometers of wind farms.
Some of the most typical complaints ascribed to turbine sound, such as high blood pressure and difficulty sleeping, are common among the broader Australian population regardless of the proximity of wind farms.
Millions of people live in areas with higher levels of sound, including the inaudible infrasound some blame for a variety of ailments (common sources of infrasound include waves, motors, storms and the human circulatory system).
Source: Renewable Energy World
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