Noise comparison Source: Pembina Institute
Renewable energy from a wind turbine sounds like a great and green idea to most folks – that is, unless you happen to be living next to the turning blades.
Questions continue on whether these devices make a noise that is not only disturbing; it might even be a possible health hazard. It all depends on which side of the noise fence you happen to be sitting on – whether you happen to be a wind energy supporter or a windbagger, as the naysayers are being called. Then there are those who live nearby that count the most, regardless of their environmental position.
The Ontario Sustainable Energy Association (OSEA) in Canada has provided the report about wind energy concerns: “Blowing Smoke: Correcting Anti Wind Myths in Ontario.” The report pens that wind energy naysayers are making negative claims about wind energy without any scientific basis, claiming noise as one of the issues, depending on where you happen to be located, it seems.
The Ontario study addresses the issue of noise: “Even at a distance, some people still find the sound ‘annoying,’ and those perceptions deserve respect. Studies show, however, that perceptions vary from person to person, depending on their other feelings about windmills.”
The report continues, bringing up the issue of low-frequency sound and infrasound – sounds which are everywhere in the environment, coming from rivers, the wind itself and also from human sources like cars. But Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health has found “no scientific evidence…to indicate that low frequency sound generated from wind turbines causes adverse health effects.”
Wind turbine parts
To compare, the organization posts this video comparing wind turbine noise to other noises.
Unfortunately, there are numerous complaints worldwide about such noises, from residents as far away as Australia to the residents of Libertyville, Illinois.
In Australia, University of Adelaide acoustics researchers are investigating the causes of wind turbine noise, also known as “wind turbine syndrome.”
The residents of Libertyville have created a website about wind turbine noises, with the title, “Citizens for Protection of Libertyville.”
As far as the noise issue goes, this is a big one. “Sure, we hear things every day that are louder than Wind Turbines: planes, trains & automobiles. Please understand that living and sleeping with continuous 24/7 Wind Turbine Noise is different. Unlike the leaf blower that eventually goes away, Wind Turbine Noise never goes away. It’s always there and even when it’s not, you think it is, you anticipate it. It’s weird. And it’s quite disturbing. Imagine listening 24/7 to this.”
As real estate agents always say, it’s all about location, location, location.
Photo: Pembina Institute & US Department of Energy
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