Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
stated earlier, some correlation or association has been made between road noise and
wind turbine noise in producing wildlife effects. Additional extrapolation in making
the connection between road-generated and wind-turbine-generated noise is avoided
here because not only is the jury still out but the fact is the jury has yet to be formed.
Given the mounting evidence regarding the negative impacts of noise (specifically,
the low-frequency levels of noise such as those created by wind turbines) on birds,
bats, and other wildlife, it is important to take precautionary measures to ensure
that noise impacts at wind facilities are thoroughly investigated prior to develop-
ment. Noise impacts on wildlife must be considered during the landscape site evalu-
ation and constructions processes. In an attempt to meet this need, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service (USFWS, 2013) developed the Eagle Conservation Plan Guidance
(ECPG). Few would argue against the point that, of all of America's wildlife, eagles
hold perhaps the most revered place in our national history and culture. The United
States has long established special protections for its bald and golden eagle popula-
tions. Now, as the nation seeks to increase its production of domestic energy, wind
energy developers and wildlife agencies have recognized a need for specific guid-
ance to help make wind energy facilities compatible with eagle conservation and
the laws and regulations that protect eagles. The ECPG provides specific in-depth
guidance for conserving bald and golden eagles in the course of siting, construction,
and operating wind energy facilities. As research specific to noise effects from wind
turbines further evolves, these findings should be added to ECPG guidelines and
utilized to develop technologies and measures to further minimize noise impacts on
wildlife (USFWS, 2013).
WIND ENERGY IMPACTS ON HUMAN HEALTH
Anyone looking at an operational wind turbine or a massive wind farm would have a
particular perception about the view. For any number of reasons, the observer's per-
ception might be positive or it might be negative—it's all in the eyes of the beholder
(literally, the perception is subjective). But, the eyes are simply the windows to
receive neuron-transmitted signals to our brain cells and thus to our thought process.
One thought that such observers might have is that a wind turbine could not affect
their health, but they would be wrong. What is health, exactly? For our purposes in
this text, let's use the World Health Organization's definition of health: “Health is a
state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence
of disease or infirmity.”
Although from a practical and well-documented viewpoint, the operation of a
wind turbine or wind turbine farm does not directly impact human health, it is also
true that factors such as stress and loss of sleep contribute to health problems for
some residents living close to these installations. Stress can be generated by frus-
trated residents having to put up with noise pollution and the adverse visual impact
and loss of land value; also, loss of sleep can be experienced by people living close
to wind turbines as a result of noise pollution.
Observers have complained about turbine noise annoyance and unpleasant
sounds that include rhythmic modulation of low-frequency noise (which may be
more annoying than steady noise) and increasing sound pressure levels, resulting
