A comparison between exposure-response relationships for wind turbine annoyance and annoyance due to other noise sources.
Surveys have shown that noise from wind turbines is perceived as annoying by a proportion of residents living in their vicinity, apparently at much lower noise levels than those inducing annoyance due to other environmental sources. The aim of the present study was to derive the exposure-response relationship between wind turbine noise exposure in L(den) and the expected percentage annoyed residents and to compare it to previously established relationships for industrial noise and transportation noise. In addition, the influence of several individual and situational factors was assessed. On the basis of available data from two surveys in Sweden (N=341, N=754) and one survey in the Netherlands (N=725), a relationship was derived for annoyance indoors and for annoyance outdoors at the dwelling. In comparison to other sources of environmental noise, annoyance due to wind turbine noise was found at relatively low noise exposure levels. Furthermore, annoyance was lower among residents who received economical benefit from wind turbines and higher among residents for whom the wind turbine was visible from the dwelling. Age and noise sensitivity had similar effects on annoyance to those found in research on annoyance by other sources.
Department of Urban Environment and Safety, Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research, P.O. Box 49, 2600 AA Delft, The Netherlands. sabine.janssen@tno.nl
Sabine A
SA
Janssen
Henk
H
Vos
Arno R
AR
Eisses
Eja
E
Pedersen
D000328:Adult; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007221:Industry; D008144:Loudness Perception; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands; D009622:Noise; D009624:Noise, Transportation; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D011210:Power Plants; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden; D014919:Wind