Amplitude modulation: Difference between revisions

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Most existing noise regulations – if they exist at all – use long-term average measures of sound levels. Thus they fail to take AM into account. (They usually also fail to consider [[infrasound and low-frequency noise]], another characteristic that makes wind turbine noise more intrusive.)
Most existing noise regulations – if they exist at all – use long-term average measures of sound levels. Thus they fail to take AM into account. (They usually also fail to consider [[infrasound and low-frequency noise]], another characteristic that makes wind turbine noise more intrusive.)


In England a wind energy facility was approved with conditions including a [https://www.wind-watch.org/documents/den-brook-amplitude-modulation-condition/ definition] of unacceptable AM: any change, upon complaint, outside the dwelling, in LA<sub>eq,125ms</sub> of &gt;3 dB in any 2-second period &ge;5 times in any minute with LA<sub>eq,1min</sub> &ge;28 dB and such excess occurring in &ge;6 minutes in any hour, which is to say that a 125-ms pulse of 3 dBA or greater (3 dB being the difference in noise level detectable by the human ear) can not occur in any 2-second period five or more times in six or more minutes of any hour, when those minute-long average noise levels are 28 dBA or more.
In England a wind energy facility was approved with conditions including a [https://www.wind-watch.org/documents/den-brook-amplitude-modulation-condition/ definition] of unacceptable AM: any change, upon complaint, outside the dwelling, in LA<sub>eq,125ms</sub> of &gt;3 dB in any 2-second period &ge;5 times in any minute with LA<sub>eq,1min</sub> &ge;28 dB and such excess occurring in &ge;6 minutes in any hour. Or in other words: When the minute-long average noise level is 28 dBA or more, a 125-ms spike of 3 dBA or greater above the average noise level (3 dB being the difference in noise level detectable by the human ear<ref>[[Decibel]]</ref>) can not occur five or more times in any 2-second period in 6 or more minutes of any hour.

Revision as of 12:18, 13 September 2017

A characteristic of wind turbine noise that makes it more annoying than other noises at the same average sound level is its pulsing or throbbing “whoosh … whoosh”, which is called amplitude modulation (AM).

Most existing noise regulations – if they exist at all – use long-term average measures of sound levels. Thus they fail to take AM into account. (They usually also fail to consider infrasound and low-frequency noise, another characteristic that makes wind turbine noise more intrusive.)

In England a wind energy facility was approved with conditions including a definition of unacceptable AM: any change, upon complaint, outside the dwelling, in LAeq,125ms of >3 dB in any 2-second period ≥5 times in any minute with LAeq,1min ≥28 dB and such excess occurring in ≥6 minutes in any hour. Or in other words: When the minute-long average noise level is 28 dBA or more, a 125-ms spike of 3 dBA or greater above the average noise level (3 dB being the difference in noise level detectable by the human ear[1]) can not occur five or more times in any 2-second period in 6 or more minutes of any hour.