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Project title

Wind Sense: Generating Wind Turbine Noise Annoyance Maps for Ireland

Primary Funding Agency

Irish Research Council

Co-Funding Organisation(s)

n/a

Lead Organisation

University of Galway (NUIG)

Lead Applicant

n/a

Project Abstract

Wind turbines generate noise that may be described as a combination of tonal, broadband, low-frequency and impulsive sounds through various phases of operation. This results in a combination of mechanical and aerodynamic noise, with the latter being the most dominant source mechanism. There are some additional features that may lead to increased annoyance, including amplitude modulation, infrasound and rhythmic pressure pulses. The current state-of-the art in noise assessment from wind turbines involves the development of a noise map to identify areas with excessive noise levels, often expressed in terms of a single time-averaged noise indicator, and developments must meet specific conditions related to this noise level. While noise assessments yield important information regarding sound pressure levels in a particular location, they do not give any representation of the overall sound quality in that space - the annoyance associated with noise has many factors that are not accounted for a single time-averaged noise metric. It is evident that a more human-centred approach to wind turbine noise assessment is required, and the proposed project has been designed to achieve this using a variety of psychoacoustic metrics. The current project will develop soundscape maps centred on designated wind farms to identify the character of sounds generated under a variety of environmental conditions. The sound features will then be presented to human volunteers in psychological experiments to assess how annoying these features are alone and in combination and whether the features impact cognitive performance. The annoyance ratings will then be fed back into the sound maps to generate sound annoyance maps around the candidate wind farms. If successful, this work will pave the way for national sounds annoyance maps that can be used to recommend changes in wind farm operation, turbine design and planning requirements.

Grant Approved

�193,829.27

Research Hub

n/a

Research Theme

Air Science

Start Date

01/09/2022

Initial Projected Completion Date

01/09/2024