www.windaction.org | facts, analysis, exposure of wind energy's real impacts http://www.windaction.org/ facts, analysis, exposure of wind energy's real impacts en-us Windaction hourly 1 http://backend.userland.com/rss Govt to probe wind farm health fears http://www.windaction.org/articles/23632 Thu, 15 Oct 2009 07:38:39 GMT The State Government will investigate the health concerns of Victorians who live near wind farms. Last month, the Democratic Labor Party Member for Western Victorian, Peter Kavanagh, asked the Government to investigate whether workers near wind farms faced health hazards. Some landholders near the Waubra wind farm, west of Ballarat, say a low frequency hum from the turbines is making them sick. http://www.windaction.org/articles/23632 WHO introduces guidelines to protect people's health from night noise pollution http://www.windaction.org/articles/23795 Thu, 08 Oct 2009 00:53:42 GMT Today, the WHO Regional Office for Europe launches its Night noise guidelines for Europe. (1) The book provides ground-breaking evidence on how exposure to night noise can damage people's health, and recommends guideline levels to protect health. The new limit is an annual average night exposure not exceeding 40 decibels (dB), corresponding to the sound from a quiet street in a residential area. Sleepers that are exposed to higher levels over the year can suffer mild health effects, such as sleep disturbance and insomnia. Long-term average exposure to levels above 55 dB, similar to the noise from a busy street, can trigger elevated blood pressure and heart attacks. One in five Europeans is regularly exposed to such noise levels. http://www.windaction.org/articles/23795 Tests to measure wind farm noise http://www.windaction.org/articles/22986 Fri, 04 Sep 2009 02:35:31 GMT The University of Ballarat has begun investigating noise levels near Waubra Wind Farm, with residents claiming low frequency turbine sound is affecting their health. Some say they have experienced headaches, nausea and sleep deprivation since the turbines began operating. The tests will be done at various locations http://www.windaction.org/articles/22986 Turbine hum 'like airport' http://www.windaction.org/articles/22331 Sat, 25 Jul 2009 13:46:14 GMT A humming noise from a wind farm near Wellington is driving sleep-deprived locals potty. "It's been horrific, it's noise torture," Makara resident Hans Renner said. "We just want some sleep, I don't think that's an unreasonable request." Haydon Miller said Meridian had promised the wind farm would not be noisy. "Either they misled us, or they got it terribly wrong." http://www.windaction.org/articles/22331 Plans for five wind farms are thrown out http://www.windaction.org/articles/643 Wed, 30 Nov 2005 14:50:21 GMT The Wind Farms Awareness Group before the meeting. The encroachment of wind farms into Perthshire was again halted by councillors as another five proposed schemes were knocked back. http://www.windaction.org/articles/643 Blaengwen windfarm refused http://www.windaction.org/articles/630 Wed, 30 Nov 2005 00:24:40 GMT A DRAMATIC stop has been put on an application to erect 10 of the largest wind turbines in Wales on a site near Pencader. http://www.windaction.org/articles/630 Wind farms feel the chill of public rejection http://www.windaction.org/articles/129 Mon, 05 Apr 2004 20:24:53 GMT They introduced the world to "environmentally friendly" energy, but now some of Europe's "greenest" countries are under pressure to backtrack on wind farms as public anger grows over their impact on the countryside. http://www.windaction.org/articles/129 AEI Special Report: Wind energy noise impacts http://www.windaction.org/articles/15412 Sat, 15 Mar 2008 02:25:00 GMT This document authored by Acoustic Ecology Institute provides a comprehensive overview of noise issues pertaining to utility-scale wind energy development. This AEI Special Report will be continually updated, incorporating new research, more recent reports, and suggestions/comments from readers. Planned topics to be added over time include: effects of noise on wildlife and habitat, offshore wind energy, and the health effects of chronic noise exposure. http://www.windaction.org/articles/15412 Dr. Pierpont letter to Burke NY residents http://www.windaction.org/articles/13712 Tue, 15 Jan 2008 22:02:06 GMT In this letter to residents of Burke, NY, Dr. Nina Pierpont briefly discusses her findings of health impacts on families living in proximity to industrial-scale wind turbines. http://www.windaction.org/articles/13712 Gail Mair: Italian wind farm diary http://www.windaction.org/articles/13434 Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT This 12-month diary (January 2007 through December 2007) was compiled by Gail Mair. Mrs. Mair lives with her husband Walter in Tuscany, Italy. Gail (fluent in English, German, and Italian) and Walter (a native of Italy) bought this piece of property some years ago and, in October 2006, moved into the (modest) dream house they had just built. It was to be their retirement home. As construction on their new home was coming to an end, wind developer, Gamesa, was completing construction on its windfarm nearby. In November 2006, the turbines were turned on and the problems of noise were started -- Day after day, relentless, unending. Gail and Walter have asked that their diary be circulated widely, in the hope of saving other communities and individuals from the misery they are living through. http://www.windaction.org/articles/13434 Infrasound and low frequency noise dose responses http://www.windaction.org/articles/12730 Tue, 28 Aug 2007 03:49:47 GMT This paper on Infrasound and Low Frequency Noise Dose Responses, was presented at the Inter-Noise 2007 conference held in Istanbul, Turkey August 28-31, 2007. The authors are Mariana Alves-Pereira and Nuno A. A. Castelo Branco of the Erisa-Universidade Lusofona, Lisbon, Portugal and the Center of Human Performance, Alverca, Portugal. http://www.windaction.org/articles/12730 Public health and noise exposure: the importance of low frequency noise http://www.windaction.org/articles/13107 Tue, 28 Aug 2007 03:12:51 GMT This paper on Infrasound and Low Frequency Noise Dose responses, was presented at the Inter-Noise 2007 conference held in Istanbul, Turkey August 28-31, 2007. The authors are Mariana Alves-Pereira and Nuno A. A. Castelo Branco of the Erisa-Universidade Lusofona, Lisbon, Portugal and the Center of Human Performance, Alverca, Portugal. http://www.windaction.org/articles/13107 Human response to wind turbine noise: Perception, annoyance and moderating factors http://www.windaction.org/articles/15250 Wed, 23 May 2007 18:26:16 GMT http://www.windaction.org/articles/15250 Wind turbine noise, annoyance and self-reported health and well-being in different living environments http://www.windaction.org/articles/15251 Thu, 01 Mar 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://www.windaction.org/articles/15251 The sound of high winds: the effect of atmospheric stability on wind turbine sound and microphone noise http://www.windaction.org/articles/3623 Fri, 12 May 2006 13:24:35 GMT To conclude, it can be stated that with respect to wind turbine sound an important phenomenon has been overlooked: the change in wind after sunset. This phenomenon will be more important for modern, tall wind turbines and in view of the many wind farms that are planned. If this problem is not recognized and solved it will hamper the expansion of wind energy. http://www.windaction.org/articles/3623 Perception and annoyance due to wind turbine noise -- a dose -- response relationship http://www.windaction.org/articles/9803 Tue, 28 Sep 2004 05:00:00 GMT Department of Environmental Medicine, Goteborg University, P.O. Box 414, SE-405 30 Goteborg, Sweden (Received 14 November 2003; revised 1 September 2004; accepted 18 September 2004) http://www.windaction.org/articles/9803 Wind Turbine Noise Issues: A Comprehensive Overview http://www.windaction.org/articles/1877 Thu, 11 Mar 2004 14:41:38 GMT The attached Pdf file provides a comprehensive overview of wind turbine noise related issues. http://www.windaction.org/articles/1877 Effects of the wind profile at night on wind turbine sound http://www.windaction.org/articles/153 Mon, 22 Sep 2003 13:41:15 GMT "Since the start of the operation of a 30MW, 17 turbine wind park, residents living 500m and more from the park have reacted strongly to the noise; residents up to 1900m distance expressed annoyance. To assess actual sound immission, long term measurements (a total of over 400 night hours in 4 months) have been performed at 400 and 1500m from the park. In the original sound assessment a fixed relation between wind speed at reference height (10 m) and hub height (98 m) had been used. However, measurements show that the wind speed at hub height at night is up to 2.6 times higher than expected, causing a higher rotational speed of the wind turbines and consequentially up to 15 dB higher sound levels, relative to the same reference wind speed in daytime. Moreover, especially at high rotational speeds the turbines produce a ‘thumping’, impulsive sound, increasing annoyance further. It is concluded that prediction of noise immission at night from (tall) wind turbines is underestimated when measurement data are used (implicitly) assuming a wind profile valid in daytime." ]]> Journal of Sound and Vibration "Since the start of the operation of a 30MW, 17 turbine wind park, residents living 500m and more from the park have reacted strongly to the noise; residents up to 1900m distance expressed annoyance. To assess actual sound immission, long term measurements (a total of over 400 night hours in 4 months) have been performed at 400 and 1500m from the park. In the original sound assessment a fixed relation between wind speed at reference height (10 m) and hub height (98 m) had been used. However, measurements show that the wind speed at hub height at night is up to 2.6 times higher than expected, causing a higher rotational speed of the wind turbines and consequentially up to 15 dB higher sound levels, relative to the same reference wind speed in daytime. Moreover, especially at high rotational speeds the turbines produce a ‘thumping’, impulsive sound, increasing annoyance further. It is concluded that prediction of noise immission at night from (tall) wind turbines is underestimated when measurement data are used (implicitly) assuming a wind profile valid in daytime." http://www.windaction.org/articles/153 Noise Annoyance from Wind Turbines a Review http://www.windaction.org/articles/155 Fri, 01 Aug 2003 04:00:00 GMT Stockholm, August 2003

SWEDISH ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Report 5308 ]]> Wind power is a relatively new generator of electricity in Sweden. Legislation and regulation regarding noise from wind turbines in Sweden have been discussed. Eja Pedersen at Halmstad University has at the request of the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency prepared this report as a base for further discussions on regulation and guidelines on noise from wind turbines in Sweden. The report reviews the present knowledge on perception and annoyance of noise from wind turbines in residential areas as well as in recreational areas. It also summarizes regulations in some European countries. The author Eja Pedersen is responsible for the content of the report. Stockholm, August 2003 SWEDISH ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Report 5308 http://www.windaction.org/articles/155