Collecting Data on Wind Turbine

Sound to Identify Causes of

Identified Concerns
or
Wind Turbine Noise - Clues to the Mystery of
Why People are Hurting

William K.G. (Bill) Palmer P. Eng.

trileaem@bmts.com
TRI-LEA-EM, RR 5, Paisley, ON N0G 2N0
Canada
Presented to the Acoustical Society of America
- 161st Meeting
 Outline of Presentation
• People are hurting, but why?
• This paper describes a method for
collection of reliable data at wind turbine
“approved locations” where sound level is
predicted to not exceed 40 dBA for wind
speeds up to 6m/s and at “control locations”
2 to 10 times the Ontario “approved” distance
of 550 metres (1800 ft or 0.34 of a mile)
• Analysis of the data suggests causes for
the hurt, and ongoing investigation shows
evidence continues to illuminate the “truth”
 Data Collection
• Readings taken at a series of locations (10 km
radius from centre) within 2 hour window
• Same terrain, same general proximity to
forested areas, same weather, fundamentally
same wind speed. Difference is proximity of
turbines.
• Recorded time, wind speed, turbine output
(IESO), weather conditions (wind direction,
pressure, temperature), dBA and dBC sound
levels.
• Performed a minimum 30 second digital
recording using M-Audio output to Audacity
program on iBook G4 at 44,100 Hz sample rate
• Over 250 samples taken in all seasons, from
March 2010 to March 2011 (and continuing)
Typical Monitoring Setup
 Data Processing
• Listen to ensure no extraneous sources of noise (road traffic,
birds, dogs, wind)

• Plot Spectrum (Hanning Window) using FFT Analysis of 30

second window using Audacity, into 16,384 bins from 2.6 to 22
k Hz
Plot FFT Analysis & Export
Background - No Turbines Operating
No Turbines - A&C Weighting Only
Turbines Operating - Low Power
Octave Analysis - Turbines Low Power
Comparing No Turbine Case to Case
with Turbines at 0%
• No turbine case shows all monitoring sites
closely match each other except for
explainable differences (flies, birds, road
traffic)
• Case with turbines just connected to grid but
at very low power shows sound level
increases at “approved” locations by 15 to 20
dB at all octaves up to 1000 Hz compared to
mean base case. Overall dBA at control
location unchanged (or decreased) while at
approved location increases over 15 dB.
• Only at octaves of 4000 and 8000 Hz is
situation relatively unchanged
Turbines at 25% Output
Octave Analysis - Turbines 25%
Turbines at 88% Output
Octave Analysis - Turbines 88%
Observations from Comparisons
• With wind speed at 8m/s (Beaufort Force 5,
fresh breeze) dBA sound level at “control
location” rises to be roughly the same at at
“approved locations” when wind speed there is
1m/s, and turbines still at 0% output.
• Meantime, at “approved locations” sound level
under these conditions has increased by 25 to
30 dB at all octaves up to 1000 Hz.
• Even at zero power, C weighted sound at
“approved locations” is 60 dBC, while “control
location is about 44 dBC and 32 dBA (∆ 28dB)
• At high power, C weighted sound at “approved
locations” is 75 dBC, while “control location” is
about 55 dBC and 41 dBA (∆ 34dB)
Shifting Frequency in “Modulation”
• At the 4th International Wind Turbine Noise
meeting in Rome, in April, several presenters
(Carlo di Napoli & Sidney Xue) identified that
dominant frequency as well as sound level can
change from low to high (or vice versa) as
angle of attack changes from wind impinging
on the blade. They suggested this can occur
from microclimate wind shifts, or from change
in speed across the rotor due to wind shear
• Review of the data shows this evidence can be
detected, which increases the audible pattern
of the turbine - just like variable frequency
police sirens are used to increase recognition
and response instead of a steady horn
Effect of Modulation - Frequency Shifts
 Review of Proponent Monitoring
• Resident had complained of noise at night,
unable to sleep, other adverse impacts
• Acoustical consultant gathered over 150 days of
data. Report looked at “high noise conditions”
identified road noise, birds, wind sound, and
lawnmower, but could not detect wind turbines.
• Lawnmowers at night? Let’s look again. Chose
midnight readings, sorted by Leq.
• Eliminated ~ 40 days with Leq > L90 by more
than 6 dB, indicative of traffic, or other transient
Proponent Monitoring
SMI Nov 20’10
0450

Calculator 53.4 dBA,

66.9 dBC
Meter says 43 dBA
3 m/s @2.5m
 CSK - May 21’10 0411
Note Cyclic Pattern - Dishwasher?

Calculator
42 dBA,
54.1 dBC
Meter says
37.5 dBA,
52.1 dBC
1.5 m/s
@2.5 m
 SCH Feb 15’11 2351
Closest Turbine Shutdown

Calculator
45.1 dBA,
58.7 dBC
Meter says
41.5 to 45
dBA
0.5 m/s
@2.5 m
 Conclusions
• projecting simple dBA sound levels from
wind turbines and performing dBA auditing of
sound levels does not protect citizens
• a simple, repeatable method of monitoring
sound and performing octave band analysis
has been demonstrated, which identifies
special characteristics of wind turbine sound
– “approved locations” are 15 to 20 dB above
“control locations” for all octaves up to 2000 Hz
under all conditions - calm or stormy, when
wind turbines operating
– cyclical sound pattern and frequency shift
makes turbines particularly noticeable
 Acknowledgements
• John Coulter for loan of Knowles microphone
and M-Audio Fast Track USB interface
• Werner Richarz for Excel octave band calculator
• Carlo di Napoli and Sidney Xue for raising
frequency shift as an issue
• George Kamperman, Rick James, and Harvey
Wrightman for review and comments on draft
• The people suffering effects of wind turbines who
permitted recordings taken at their homes (CS,
VS, NS, JH, HF, JT, GB, SJ, KA, TW and others)
• The encouragement of countless friends and
those suffering from the effects of wind turbines