Reviewing the Facts on Wind Turbine Sound Impacts Renewable
Northwest Project has been actively following the research on
this important issue regularly since the early 1990's and will
continue to do so. We have compiled the following to help
separate the myth from the facts. Wind Turbine Sound Just like
almost anything in life—cars, stereos, your coworkers or the
wind itself—wind turbines do make sound. Sound from wind
turbines can be mechanical (such as from the gearbox) or
aerodynamic (from air moving past the blades). Modern turbine
designs have greatly reduced the mechanical sounds to the point
where normally what you hear at a wind farm is a light
"whooshing" sound of the blades passing through the air. Other
factors do play a part, such as distance from the turbine,
height, topography, vegetation, and wind conditions, but overall
wind farms are very quiet compared to other industrial
facilities. In fact, because the wind is blowing whenever the
turbines are spinning that "whooshing" sound is often lost