Windpower Turbine links through Envirogreen Technologies and WindEnergy

                              Windpower Turbine Noise

Your neighbours' concerns relating to wind turbine noise are important. No matter the size of the windpower turbine, the potential for turbine noise to bother other people always exists. Even if a windpower turbine does not emit enough sound to violate any noise regulations, the noise it produces may still be objectionable to other people. Before building a windpower turbine, familiarize yourself with the types of noise your windpower turbine could make:

• Aerodynamic noises may be made by the flow of air over and past the blades of the turbine. Such noises tend to increase with the speed of the rotor. For blade noise, lower blade tip speed results in lower noise levels. Of particular concern is the interaction of windpower turbine blades with atmospheric turbulence, which results in a characteristic "whooshing" sound.
  
• Mechanical noises may also be produced by components of a windpower turbine. Normal wear and tear, poor component designs or lack of preventative maintenance may all be factors affecting the amount of mechanical noise produced. 
  

How Loud Might a Windpower Turbine Be?

At a distance of 250 m, a typical windpower turbine produces a sound pressure level of about 45 dB(A) (decibels). As Figure 12 shows, this sound level is below the background noise level produced in a home or office. Most small windpower turbines, in fact, make less noise than a residential air conditioner.

Small Windpower Turbines

The blades rotate at an average range of 175-500 revolutions per minute with some as high as 1150 rpm. Large Windpower turbines turbine blades rotate in the range of at 50-15 rpm at constant speed, although an increasing number of machines operate at a variable speed.

Figure 12. Comparison of decibel levels from a hypothetical wind turbine (from 250 m away) with other sources of noise. (Source: American Wind Energy Association)

Please take a moment to click on the links below and see how easy it is to make your own Windpowered Generator. Also, you can supplement the windpower turbine with your own home made solarpower "photovoltaic cell" PV system. Make it a family project and save money while having some fun.

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