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Wind turbine sound limits: Current status and recommendations based on mitigating noise annoyance
Author: | Australia, Noise, Regulations
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Abstract:
This paper describes existing wind turbine sound limits in Australian states and several other countries with similar constraints, how these were established and a method that could facilitate their harmonisation. Most existing limits appear to have been adopted to avoid sleep disturbance using data derived from sound sources other than wind turbines. This seems to have been a reasonable approach at the time of their adoption because of the paucity of other suitable data. More recently the concept of “annoyance” has been used to encapsulate negative reactions to wind turbine sound. Many studies have now demonstrated a significant relationship between annoyance and wind turbine sound level, whether or not sound was the major source of the annoyance. Thus there is a logical basis for now deriving a wind turbine sound limit based on limiting annoyance. This paper describes such an approach. The derived limit is compared to existing Australian and international limits. Its value lies within the range of these other limits. It provides a method for harmonisation of future limits based on direct assessments of human response to wind turbine sound.
John L. Davy, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) University, Victoria, Australia
Kym Burgemeister, Arup Acoustics, East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
David Hillman, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia
Applied Acoustics
Volume 140, November 2018, Pages 288-295
doi: 10.1016/j.apacoust.2018.06.009
Fig. 1. The percentage of highly annoyed people as a function the outdoor wind turbine sound level exceeded for ninety percent of the time in a 10 min period. The sound pressure levels have been converted to LA90(10min) from their original values.
Fig. 2. The percentage of highly annoyed people according to the Community Tolerance Level model as a function the outdoor wind turbine sound level exceeded for ninety percent of the time in a 10 min period. The sound pressure levels have been converted to LA90(10min) from their original values.
Fig. 3. The percentage of highly annoyed people as a function the outdoor wind turbine sound level exceeded for ninety percent of the time in a 10 min period. The sound pressure levels have been converted to LA90(10min) from their original values.
Our analysis derives a maximum sound level limit for wind turbine sound based on permitting no more than 10% of the population to be highly annoyed when exposed to wind turbine sound at the maximum sound level limit. Such a 10% threshold is commonly used when setting hearing protection noise limits, and is similar to the 8% used when setting the Dutch wind turbine sound limits. Thus Fig. 3 and Eq. (2) suggest that the mean limit for wind turbine sound should be an LA90(10min) of 35 dBA.
Fig. 4. The percentage of highly annoyed people indoors and outdoors as a function the outdoor wind turbine sound level LA90(10min). The Canadian curves are based on survey data from Ontario and Prince Edward Island provinces. The European curves are based on Dutch and Swedish survey data. The original Lden and LAeq levels have been converted to LA90(10min).
| Standard | Quantity | Area | Time | Background LA90(10min) | Limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ETSU-R-97 England |
LA90(10min) | No financial Involvement | Day | ≤30 to 35 dB | 35 to 40 dB |
| ETSU-R-97 England |
LA90(10min) | No financial Involvement | Day | >30 to 35 dB | BKGND + 5 dB |
| ETSU-R-97 England |
LA90(10min) | No financial Involvement | Night | ≤38 dB | 43 dB |
| ETSU-R-97 England |
LA90(10min) | No financial Involvement | Night | >38 dB | BKGND + 5 dB |
| ETSU-R-97 England |
LA90(10min) | Financial Involvement | Any | ≤40 dB | 45 dB |
| ETSU-R-97 England |
LA90(10min) | Financial Involvement | Any | >40 dB | BKGND + 5 dB |
| VIC NZS 6808:1998 | LA95(10min) | Any | Any | ≤35 dB(LA95) | 40 dB |
| VIC NZS 6808:1998 | LA95(10min) | Any | Any | >35 dB(LA95) | BKGND + 5 dB |
| SA EPA 2003 | LAeq(10min) Prediction LA90(10min) Measurement | Any | Any | ≤30 dB | 35 dB |
| SA EPA 2003 | LAeq(10min) Prediction LA90(10min) Measurement | Any | Any | >30 dB | BKGND + 5 dB |
| WA 2004 | LAeq(10min) | Any | Any | ≤30 dB | 35 dB |
| WA 2004 | LAeq(10min) | Any | Any | >30 dB | BKGND + 5 dB |
| SA EPA 2009 | LAeq(10min) Prediction LA90(10min) Measurement | Standard | Any | ≤35 dB | 40 dB |
| SA EPA 2009 | LAeq(10min) Prediction LA90(10min) Measurement | Standard | Any | >35 dB | BKGND + 5 dB |
| SA EPA 2009 | LAeq(10min) Prediction LA90(10min) Measurement | Rural Living | Any | ≤30 dB | 35 dB |
| SA EPA 2009 | LAeq(10min) Prediction LA90(10min) Measurement | Rural Living | Any | >30 dB | BKGND + 5 dB |
| VIC NZS 6808:2010 | LA90(10min) | Standard | Any | ≤35 dB | 40 dB |
| VIC NZS 6808:2010 | LA90(10min) | Standard | Any | >35 dB | BKGND + 5 dB |
| VIC NZS 6808:2010 | LA90(10min) | High Amenity | Day | ≤35 dB | 40 dB |
| VIC NZS 6808:2010 | LA90(10min) | High Amenity | Day | >35 dB | BKGND + 5 dB |
| VIC NZS 6808:2010 | LA90(10min) | High Amenity | Evening or Night less than 6 m/s | ≤30 dB | 35 dB |
| VIC NZS 6808:2010 | LA90(10min) | High Amenity | Evening or Night less than 6 m/s | >30 dB | BKGND + 5 dB |
| NSW Draft 2011 | LAeq(10min) LA90(10min) + 1.5 dB | Any | Day | ≤30 dB | 35 dB |
| NSW Draft 2011 | LAeq(10min) LA90(10min) + 1.5 dB | Any | Day | >30 dB | BKGND + 5 dB |
| NSW Draft 2011 | LAeq(10min) LA90(10min) + 1.5 dB | Any | Night | ≤30 dB | 35 dB |
| NSW Draft 2011 | LAeq(10min) LA90(10min) + 1.5 dB | Any | Night | >30 dB | BKGND + 5 dB |
| QLD 2016 | LAeq Prediction | Non-host lot | Day and Evening | ≤32 dB | 37 dB |
| QLD 2016 | LAeq Prediction | Non-host lot | Day and Evening | >32 dB | BKGND + 5 dB |
| QLD 2016 | LAeq Prediction | Non-host lot | Night | ≤30 dB | 35 dB |
| QLD 2016 | LAeq Prediction | Non-host lot | Night | >30 dB | BKGND + 5 dB |
| QLD 2016 | LAeq Prediction | Host lot | Any | ≤40 dB | 45 dB |
| QLD 2016 | LAeq Prediction | Host lot | Any | >40 dB | BKGND + 5 dB |
| Demark | LAeq, 8 m/s@10 m | Standard | Any | Any | 44 dB |
| Demark | LAeq, 6 m/s@10 m | Standard | Any | Any | 42 dB |
| Demark | LAeq, 8 m/s@10 m | Noise Sensitive | Any | Any | 39 dB |
| Demark | LAeq, 6 m/s@10 m | Noise Sensitive | Any | Any | 37 dB |
| Canada, Ontario | LAeq (1hr) | Urban | Any | ≤38 dB RefBG | 45 dB |
| Canada, Ontario | LAeq (1hr) | Urban | Any | >38 dB RefBG | RefBG + 7 dB |
| Canada, Ontario | LAeq (1hr) | Rural | Any | ≤33 dB RefBG | 40 dB |
| Canada, Ontario | LAeq (1hr) | Rural | Any | >33 dB RefBG | RefBG + 7 dB |
| Sweden | LAeq, 8 m/s@10 m | Standard | Any | Any | 40 dB |
| Sweden | LAeq, 8 m/s@10 m | Quiet | Any | Any | 35 dB |
| Netherlands | LAden | Any | Any | Any | 47 dB |
| Netherlands | LAeq | Any | Night | Any | 41 dB |
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