Wind turbine amplitude modulation: research to improve understanding as to its cause & effect

Matthew Cand , Andrew Bullmore , Malcom Smith , Sabine Von-Hunerbein , Robert Davis

The issue of amplitude modulated noise (often referred to as ‘blade swish’ or ‘AM’) arising from the operation of wind turbines is presently receiving a high focus of attention. Whilst the acceptability of audible noise from wind turbines continues to be the subject of considerable debate, the specific issue of AM has come to the fore in recent years. The issue of AM is not a new one, having been the subject of a previous study undertaken on behalf of the UK Government by the University of Salford in 2007. That study was initiated following complaints of what was believed to be problematic levels of low frequency noise arising from a limited number of operational wind farms. A research project has been underway to improve understanding of the phenomenon, and develop an objective method for quantifying levels of AM and provide a well- defined dose-response relationship. This paper will discuss the results of this research. The project is 100% funded by RenewableUK.

Mots clés: wind turbines; amplitude modulation; wind farms

Domaines: Acoustique [physics.class-ph]

Matthew Cand, Andrew Bullmore, Malcom Smith, Sabine Von-Hunerbein, Robert Davis. Wind turbine amplitude modulation: research to improve understanding as to its cause & effect. Acoustics 2012, Apr 2012, Nantes, France. ⟨hal-00811234⟩