What is the source of wind turbine noise?
Wind turbines emit low levels of noise. The main source of noise is the aerodynamic noise of the blades moving through the air. The character of the aerodynamic noise is broadband and similar to that of the surf. A secondary source of noise is the mechanical noise from the rotating machinery such as the generator and gearbox. Modern design techniques has resulted in turbines being largely free of mechanical noise. The levels of noise produced by wind turbines are very low. A comparison between some every day noises and a wind farm is given in the adjacent chart. A wind farm at 500 m produces a noise level of lower than 40 dB(A) i.e. at the same level as a bedroom at night.
