Wind Energy Planning

The British Wind Energy Association has welcomed the findings of a further study demonstrating that there is no evidence of health effects from wind turbines.

The joint AWEA / CanWEA report on Wind Turbine Sound and Health Effects was put together by a multidisciplinary panel who conducted the most extensive study of its kind to date. The seven-member panel included experts in the fields of medicine, audiology, acoustics, environmental and public health from Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Denmark.

The report is based on a review of a large body of scientific literature on sound and health effects, and specifically with regard to sound produced by wind turbines. After extensive review, analysis and discussion, the panel concluded that sounds or vibrations emitted from wind turbines have no adverse effect on human health.

CanWEA president Robert Hornung said: ‘’The Canadian Wind Energy Association supports the responsible and sustainable development of wind energy in Canada. This study will go a long way in addressing people’s concerns and answering their questions about the effects of wind turbines. Canada’s wind energy industry will continue to take a proactive role in ensuring wind energy developments are good neighbours to the communities that have embraced wind energy.’

The executive summary states that the panel had ‘reached consensus on the following conclusions’:

• There is no evidence that the audible or sub-audible sounds emitted by wind turbines have any direct adverse physiological effects.

• The ground-borne vibrations from wind turbines are too weak to be detected by, or to affect, humans.

• The sounds emitted by wind turbines are not unique. There is no reason to believe, based on the levels and frequencies of the sounds and the panel’s experience with sound exposures in occupational settings, that the sounds from wind turbines could plausibly have direct adverse health consequences.