by Mark Duchamp
A survey was conducted on wind farm noise as part of a Master’s dissertation by Zhenhua Wang, a graduate student in Geography, Environment and Population at the University of Adelaide, Australia. The results show that 70% of respondents living up to 5km away report being negatively affected by wind turbine noise, with more than 50% of them “very or moderately negatively affected”. This is considerably higher than what was found in previous studies conducted in Europe.
The survey was made in the vicinity of the Waterloo wind farm, South Australia, which is composed of 37 Vestas V90 3 MW turbines stretching over 18 km (1). These mega turbines are reported to be emitting more low frequency noise (LFN) than smaller models, and this causes more people to be affected, and over greater distances, by the usual symptoms of the Wind Turbine Syndrome (WTS): insomnia, headaches, nausea, stress, poor ability to concentrate, irritability, etc, leading to poorer health and a reduced immunity to illness.
The Danish government recognised recently that LFN is an aggravating component in the noise that affects wind farm neighbours. This prompted their issuing regulations that limit low-frequency noise levels inside homes to 20 dB(A). Unfortunately, as denounced by Professor Henrik Moller, they manipulated the calculation parameters so as to allow LFN inside homes to actually reach 30 dB(A) in 30% of cases. “Hardly anyone would accept 30 dB(A) in their homes at night”, wrote the Professor last month (2).
A summary of the Australian survey has been published (3), but the full Masters dissertation has not been made available to the public. In the interest of public health, the European Platform against Windfarms (EPAW) and the North-American Platform against Windpower (NA-PAW), have asked the University of Adelaide to release this important document.
A neighbour of the Waterloo wind farm, Mr Andreas Marciniak, wrote to a local newspaper last week: “Do you think it’s funny that at my age I had to move to Adelaide into my Mother’s shed and my brother had to move to Hamilton into a caravan with no water or electricity?” (4) Both Mr Marciniak and his brother have been advised by their treating doctors, including a cardiologist, to leave their homes and not return when the wind turbines are turning.
How many people will be forced to abandon their homes before governments pay attention, wonder the thousands of windfarm victims represented by EPAW and NAPAW. “It’ll take time to gather enough money for a big lawsuit”, says Sherri Lange, of NAPAW, “but time is on our side: victim numbers are increasing steadily.”
Contacts:
Mark Duchamp +34 693 643 736 (Spain) Skype: mark.duchamp
Executive Director, EPAW
Sherri Lange +1 416 567 5115 (Canada)
CEO, NA-PAW
References:
(1) – http://ecogeneration.com.au/news/waterloo_wind_farm_officially_opened/054715/
(2) – http://www.epaw.org/press/EPAW_NA-PAW_media_release_10Feb2012.pdf
(3) – http://www.wind-watch.org/documents/evaluation-of-wind-farm-noise-policies-in-south-australia/
(4) – Letter sent to the Editor of the Burra Broadcaster by Mr. Andreas Marciniak, windfarm victim.
Related articles
- Windfarm noise – Renowned acoustician denounces double standards in noise regulations (wattsupwiththat.com)
the problem is that the LFN is not measured in dBA, it is in dBC. 20 and 30 dBA as common noise is no big deal, unless you are trying to sleep. dBC is different. you will feel it as much as hear it. I’ve likened LFN to some heavy metal music playing in the car next to you. you can hear the lyrics (dbA) when your window is down. You close the car window and you no longer hear the music but feel (dBC) the beat.
If they are getting LFN to register as 20-30dBA they are hurting.
Brian H says:
The claimed “insulation” that is installed to “mitigate” the effects is a joke. You can’t insulate against such low frequencies without a huge mass in between, and even then it’s problematic. Elephants use infrasound for long distance communication (through the ground) for a reason.
I was wondering about transmission through the ground here. Has anyone tried putting seismometers near wind farms?
The problem with the VLF is that it often is amplified in buildings rather than attenuated. The other misleading thing is the use of sound amplitude rather than sound pressure. Since one has a square law for distance the other has a linear one the use of sound level meters is a way of getting an acceptable reading well before the VLF sound is really insignificant in its effect.
I know when the wind is a few degrees south of due west as I always wake up with a slight headache and dizziness although we are five miles from a group of smallish ones.
We often hear of the effect of birds being killed in wind farms but I have noticed that starlings seem to avoid the areas in about a thirty degree arc either side of the line of the axis for nearly five miles and now alter their flypast areas according to wind direction where previously they always used the areas just west of us. There may of course be a different reason for this but why variable rather than just a total change of area?
Some typical data:
For large wind turbines the typical wind tip velocity at maximal power is approx. 280 km/h (175 MPH).
It’s like a Formula 1 racing car (without engine and tyres) passing at a distance of 5 m in front of a 3-10 m wide tower with a frequency between 0.2 and 1 Hz (12 to 60 times per minute).
Maximal power is delivered with wind between 12 and 25 m/s. At 5 m/s only 5-8% of the designed power is delivered.
The larger the turbine the less efficient it is at low wind speed.
For fix blade turbines, power is delivered in proportion to the 3rd power of wind velocity (half the wind = 1/8 of power). With adjustable blades a better characteristic is obtained.
Michel says:
March 7, 2012 at 1:52 am
Some typical data:
For large wind turbines the typical wind tip velocity at maximal power is approx. 280 km/h (175 MPH).
______________
Sorry: please read wing tip velocity
I have, for some time, been surprised that “The Great Wind Farm Scam” by Dr. John Etherington, retired Reader in Ecology at the University of Wales and former co-editor of the Journal of Ecology, does not appear in the margin at this site.
Christopher Booker wrote the preface to the book, which was first published in 2009. My copy obtained in 2010 was the third reprint.
The renewables lobby and their followers hate it and have attacked both the author and the book, but I have found it hard to locate any valid, substantial criticisms in their attacks. Perhaps some of your readers can point me to them.
Observa – participants may have a hard time going public, either due to contractual obligations or to the reluctance of all of us to admit we made a mistake. One participant’s name that comes to mind is Hal Graham,
http://www.mpnnow.com/news/x1393569912/Naples-hears-from-windmill-supporter-turned-opponent
Noise is all around us. you say who can live near a chemical plant, refinery, airport, downtown traffic? Off course we do live everywhere, but we forget it unless it is the noise is from wind farms! The noise you are talking about is less than the noise from seaside waves. Seeking excuses?
AKK! the Troll! Repetitive noise is SO much more irritating than randomly varying background …
Brian H,
Welcome back, good to see you again.
I’m sorry but I have to say that I hate the randomly varying background noise same as you that don’t like the windmills noise. You are talking about “not to scale” measures, so I don’t understand your excuses.
To find more about this Troll! Please live at a seaside villa wherever you like for just one month and see what you find. Please live nearby a refinery or chemical plant for a short time and see the steam and flares noises, or nearby an airport, a harbour, railway, mono rail, or if you live in an apartment at downtown just open your window and enjoy the noise of ambulances, police cars, fire fighters sirens, trucks and traffic and construction equipment all around you and say all are randomly varying background, these all are not harmonized symphony of Beethoven.
Do you mind if I move the windmills outside the lands to offshore? What is your next comment? I’m sure this time you say Oh! The BIRDS! Seeking Excuses.
I do agree with you that windmills make noise, any moving system makes noise in the atmosphere, and you can reduce the noise but never can eliminate it. For example in diesel combustion engines EU standards under existing technology specify allowable noise below 120db.
I am familiar with such directives you are pointing out. Let me tell you; first windmills are bad second Solar Energy is bad third Silence….. It means STOP IT!?
You are perfect Brian H. You never saw black smoky trains, but I did it, I traveled with these trains many times when I was a kid. Now you are perfect I am sure you would be the next Troll! Because now you are travelling with trains that are no longer perfect in the near future. Yes Brian H the Troll! Those smoky trains made the perfect trains today, windmills make noise? We have still tomorrow and other tomorrows.
Noise is noise and if we are conservative magnifiers we would be losers. Gasoline price has raised up to 2 Euros a litre these days in EU. Let’s see what would happen tomorrow. GE made its 16000th wind turbines recently, 16000 Brian H, it is great experience. Let it provide us %1 of the total Electricity we need what would happen?
Now I didn’t get you for honoring me the name the Troll! I welcome it and accept the good name from a gentleman, Brian H. Warm Regards.
ACKK!!
It’s gobsmacking to consider that your incoherent ranting might make sense even to yourself. The human species is indeed far more variegated than we can imagine.