Noise Pollution
Myth: Wind turbines cause noise pollution.
Fact: Anyone who has ever visited a modern wind energy project knows that wind turbines are quiet. According to a New York State study on the effects of wind turbines, “As a general rule, MW scale wind generators located at least 1,000 feet from the nearest residence have been found to produce minimal sound impacts.” (www.dps.state.ny.us/NY_RPS_FEIS_8-26-04.pdf) At Beech Ridge, the nearest residences will four to five times that distance.
As required by the West Virginia Public Service Commission, Beech Ridge Energy commissioned a study of the expected sound impacts of the Project. The study concluded that the sound produced by the Project should be significantly less than the existing indoor and outdoor sound levels in the closest surrounding communities.
Myth: Wind turbines produce “infrasound” or “low frequency” vibrations that have negative health effects.
Fact: There is no research that indicates the sound produced by wind turbines produces any negative health effects. According to Dr. Geoff Leventhall, a world leading expert on sound who has written extensively on wind turbines:
“I can state quite categorically that there is no significant infrasound from current designs of wind turbines. To say that there is an infrasound problem is one of the hares which objectors to wind farms like to run. There will not be any effects from infrasound from the turbines.”
Extensive work has been carried out on infrasound from wind turbines, which demonstrated that “Low frequency noise and vibration levels were both found to comply with recommended residential criteria even on the wind farm site itself with the acoustic signal, below 20 Hz, being well below accepted thresholds of perception.”
