[TopTec]

Morning all.


The new Bonniconlon wind farm is now up and running with all 12 turbines operating. I am 2.06 km away as the crow flies and today, a very still day here, all 12 are spinning and the background roar and whooshing sound is very apparent.

2 questions really. Are there not some regulations governing this noise output and secondly despite being a still day the turbines are spinning, so is this part of the commisioning process?

TIA

TT

[Capt'n Midnight]

It's probably windier up there

http://archive.met.ie/forecasts/5day-ireland.asp
At the moment the wind is blowing the opposite way to the prevailing wind so YMMV


https://www.epa.ie/pubs/advice/noise/

[TopTec]

Thanks for the 2 links Cap'n. Nah, no wind and other wind farms are still, must be part of the commisioning process. Unnatural wind over the next few days, North Easterlies are rare here so that is a factor. I am surprised at the level of noise though.

TT

[Yellow_Fern]

Noise pollution may be the next big thing in concern about pollution.

[TopTec]

Originally Posted by Yellow_Fern

Noise pollution may be the next big thing in concern about pollution.

How so?

TT

[Yellow_Fern]

Originally Posted by TopTec

How so?

TT

There has been a huge interest in air pollution and its impact on health in the last few years. Some of the improvements in domestic air pollution reduction can help with noise which I think could become more of interest in the future but yeah a long way to go.

[Crazyivan 1979]

There will be limits set down in the planning, but these can vary. They can be an absolute limit of 43 dB (La90) or the noise must not be above 6dB above background levels for day-time and just an absolue limit for night. There may also a requirement that states no tonal noise may be present.

These limits are in effect at the external of nearby dwellings

[TopTec]

It is not the loud noise, which is certainly under the db limit set by the government but the low level constant background roar, similar to having the sea shore near your house.

All the locals I have spoken to have resigned themselves to the visual stimga but are all surprised at the noise... the closer you go, within 1.5 k, the more obvious the swoosh of the blades, (the tonal modulation) is.

On a still day, like Tues am, you can also hear the whining of the electrical gearing turning the turbines trying to find a wind direction.

TT

[Graces7]

Originally Posted by TopTec

It is not the loud noise, which is certainly under the db limit set by the government but the low level constant background roar, similar to having the sea shore near your house.

All the locals I have spoken to have resigned themselves to the visual stimga but are all surprised at the noise... the closer you go, within 1.5 k, the more obvious the swoosh of the blades, (the tonal modulation) is.

On a still day, like Tues am, you can also hear the whining of the electrical gearing turning the turbines trying to find a wind direction.

TT

I live a small field away from the ocean and the noise is not a constant and varies. On a calm day like today there is total silence.

[Birdnuts]

Originally Posted by Capt'n Midnight

It's probably windier up there

http://archive.met.ie/forecasts/5day-ireland.asp
At the moment the wind is blowing the opposite way to the prevailing wind so YMMV


https://www.epa.ie/pubs/advice/noise/

Its more likely the wind farm is drawing power from the grid to keep the blades moving as prolonged stationary periods can cause them to cease up, especcially in cold weather - another little fact the wind industry would prefer folk not to know about

http://www.aweo.org/windconsumption.html

[Birdnuts]

Originally Posted by TopTec

It is not the loud noise, which is certainly under the db limit set by the government but the low level constant background roar, similar to having the sea shore near your house.

All the locals I have spoken to have resigned themselves to the visual stimga but are all surprised at the noise... the closer you go, within 1.5 k, the more obvious the swoosh of the blades, (the tonal modulation) is.

On a still day, like Tues am, you can also hear the whining of the electrical gearing turning the turbines trying to find a wind direction.

TT

I have friends living near a wind farm outside Claremorris - same issues. They have considered moving but the chances of selling a house for anything reasonable given the nearby windfarm is rather a forlorn hope according to the local estate agents they contacted. You and your neighbours might consider getting some indepedent testing of noise and ultrasound levels around your properties. The wind developers will have claimed they have tested such things and all is well - but my experience of wind farm EIS's produced by developers would make me seek an independent view on such things. In the meantime below is link to an interesting case in Cork recently.

https://www.echolive.ie/corknews/Cor...e0632419fc1-ds

[Ish66]

Really, It's built, When I moved to my house 2 years ago the Railway track 100 mtrs behind my house carried a lot of freight during the night, It still does, I just dont notice anymore, You will too...Chill...........

[s1ippy]

Originally Posted by Birdnuts

Its more likely the wind farm is drawing power from the grid to keep the blades moving as prolonged stationary periods can cause them to cease up - another little fact the wind industry would prefer folk not to know about

I mean, why is that a problem? Presumably over time they generate more energy than they use, otherwise they would just be pointless propellors being built to drain power from the grid. They're erected in locations where there is typically wind, so those periods of drawing energy are not usually long.

[Birdnuts]

Originally Posted by s1ippy

I mean, why is that a problem? Presumably over time they generate more energy than they use, otherwise they would just be pointless propellors being built to drain power from the grid. They're erected in locations where there is typically wind, so those periods of drawing energy are not usually long.

Cos the wind industry makes claims on the notional capacity of wind farms that bares no relationship to the their actual output - and the media tend to recycle such BS to the general pubic when reporting on such matters