Wind Turbine Noise | Residential Vs. Commercial
Who Can See the Wind?
(by Christina Georgina Rossetti)
Who can see the wind? Neither you nor I
But when the leaves are trembling
The wind is passing by!
Who can see the wind? Neither I nor you
But when the trees are bending low
The wind is passing through!
As this children’s poem points out, the wind’s affect on the surrounding environment is a beautiful thing. But if you live near one of the many “wind farms” popping up all over the country, you may disagree. If that’s you, then “seeing the wind” means 400 foot tall wind turbines interrupting your landscape, and “hearing the wind” may mean loud “whirring” and “whoosh” sounds keeping you awake at night. (more)
Noise Pollution from Wind Energy – Why It’s a Problem!
With today’s heightened awareness about energy and our dependence on foreign oil, we are being lured with a promise of bountiful, cheap electricity if we simply harvest the energy from the wind. As is true with everything in life, “there is no such thing as a free lunch”. Communities across the country are learning from past mistakes (the hard way) that one of the greatest struggles with wind turbine development is in community noise disturbances – or noise pollution. So, what can be done about it? (more)
How Weather Affects an Outdoor Noise Study
For many years, I worked as an acoustical consultant in Southern California. We had seasons in SoCal, but it took several years before I easily recognized the subtle differences between summer and fall or between winter and spring. Summer brought daytime temperatures in the 80’s while wintertime temperatures tended to range in the upper 60’s. But for the most part, the temperate climate meant that days would be warm, dry, and sunny and nights would be cooler, dry, and cloudless. My point: long term monitoring of outdoor noise levels and sound propagation was easy.
After ten years on the West Coast, I returned to the Midwest to work for Acoustics By Design, Inc., and found myself back in the midst of weather – real weather – blizzards, sticky summers, and thunderstorms. Most people know that weather can influence sound propagation, but by how much? (more)
It’s interesting to watch the broader culture around us as it adapts to new ideas and theories. The “Green” concept (the idea that we need to take care of the environment, reduce our carbon footprint, save energy, etc.) really isn’t new at all, but the mounting “buzz” around the word certainly is. When I was growing up, green was nothing more than my favorite color, but now it’s a top story in the news, a popular ad campaign, even a way of life. (more)
The Wailing Industrial Demon Next Door
I am not about to compose a post vilifying the American industrial complex; I’m only expressing the attitude of many people that I come across who live near a noisy factory, processing plant, scrap yard, or other type of industrial facility. Perhaps in some cases, criticism by nearby residents is justified, but usually it is not, and often it is avoidable. Multiple times every year I am called in to assess industrial noise and vibration emissions to residential communities. Often I am hired by the company, sometimes by the local government, and occasionally by a residential group. And by the time I get involved, edgy relations have frequently devolved into contentious confrontations, accusations of purposeful illegalities, and claims of ill health due to noise. (more)
Recently we were called in to consult on some highway noise that was affecting a residential community. The state had added a new exit ramp that diverged right through the back property lines of several of the residences. While we talked with one of the home owners, he asked about the acoustical effects of planting more trees and foliage between his house and the new exit ramp. As Acoustical Consultants, this is something we hear all the time: the idea that trees and plants can effectively mitigate loud noise. Hopefully, this blog will help put to rest some of the myths about acoustical attributes of trees: where they fail and where they succeed. (more)
Auditorium Noise Isolation: You Gotta Keep Em’ Separated
Mixing noise pollution with an intimate auditorium setting is almost always a bad idea, and as the song says, “You gotta keep em’ separated.” There’s nothing like untimely noise pollution to ruin the flow of a good theatrical performance or vocal recital. For our purposes today, we will define “noise pollution” as any unwanted sound impeding at an unwanted time. When you’re engineering acoustical solutions for an auditorium, the importance of noise isolation is paramount, and it’s the only way to really keep the “bad sound” out. Noise pollution can hinder speech intelligibility and greatly reduce the ability for an audience to hear and understand what is being said. In auditoriums, noise pollution can come from a wide array of culprits from within or without the facility. (more)
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