There have already been five previous international conferences on wind turbine noise. The first one was in 2005 and they take place every two years. This year, it will be held in Glasgow, Scotland, the host for last year’s successful Commonwealth Games. It is anticipated that it will be even more successful than the previous conference, which was held in Denver, United States. It is a conference attended by people from a wide variety of backgrounds, including academics, engineers, consultants, industrialists, investors and of course objectors. Objectors are welcomed because they can listen to facts and developments and be informed rather than misinformed by sensationalist media headlines; but it also makes for some very lively open debate sessions!

The conference will take place over four days, from Monday 20th April to Thursday 23rd April 2015 at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Glasgow, Scotland. It is anticipated that this might become a permanent future venue for future wind turbine noise conferences.

Biennial Wind Turbine Noise Conference  2015
Raddisson Hotel Edinburgh

It is interesting to note that back in 2005 when the first conference was held in Berlin, it was thought that in the next decade the issue of wind turbine noise would have been well and truly sorted. Sadly no- last year’s conference attracted nearly 200 delegates from 22 countries representing manufacturers, developers, researchers, environmentalists, pressure groups and consultants and exhibitors . As with previous conferences it provides an opportunity for all those with an interest in wind turbine noise, its generation, its prediction, its assessment and its effects on people, to meet together and discuss common problems and more importantly, solutions.

You are not expected to be an expert in order to attend. There is a half-day introductory course on the fundamentals of acoustics, specifically designed for those with little to no background in acoustics and those interested in learning more about wind turbine noise. This is is planned for the Sunday before the conference proper begins and allows people travelling to Glasgow to get settled in and then brush up on the fundamentals of wind turbine noise. The goal of this session to provide the first building blocks for those interested in learning more about acoustics with an emphasis and examples from wind turbines.  It will include

  • Sound and decibels, basic math and weightings
  • Sound power and sound pressure
  • Sound levels and human hearing
  • Human response to noise
  • Industrial and transportation Sources of noise
  • Sound propagation
  • Noise criteria (regulatory approaches for various sources)
  • Basics of noise from wind turbines
  • Advanced and special interest topics

Mark Bastasch

The session will be led by Mark Bastasch (pictured above) an Oregon Licensed Professional Acoustical Engineer (P.E.) and member of the INCE working in the field of wind turbine acoustics since the late 1990’s.  Governmental organizations from Oregon to Maine have referenced his work.  Most recently he has contributed to the book “Wind Turbine Noise” edited by Bowdler & Leventhall.

For the conference proper over 100 abstracts have been submitted for consideration and possible discussion. These include such diverse noise-related issues as new theories on amplitude modulation, several papers on design of aerofoils in the source noise categories, propagation and the receiving environment including indoor noise, annoyance and health effects.

The previous conference held in Denver had attendees from all over the world including:

  • USA: 76
  • Canada: 26
  • Europe: 62
  • Asia: 14
  • New Zealand/Australia: 13

WTN13_logo

So whether you think you have a solution to the issue of wind turbine noise, don’t think there’s a problem in the first place, or are personally affected by wind turbine noise, this is the conference to come and share your views,and learn the facts!

 

Windpower Now The Cheapest Energy Source In The United Kingdom! Previous post Windpower Now The Cheapest Energy Source In The United Kingdom!
The Future Cost of Windpower: New Research Published online Next post The Future Cost of Windpower: New Research Published online