The deep thumping-like sound, produced when the blades on a turbine partially stall because of changes in wind speed and direction, is about as loud as the noise from a single carriageway road. This sound is not the same is the “whooshing” effect of the blades being turned in the wind when you get closer to a turbine.
A report commissioned by RenewableUK into this issue found the problem to be infrequent, and more importantly, able to be remedied with changes to software which rectifies the stalling problem.
RenewableUK’s deputy chief executive, Maf Smith, pictured above, said:
“The research shows that this only affects a limited number of wind farm sites, and when it does occur it can be resolved using a software fix which controls the angle of the turbine blades. It’s right that the wind industry should take the lead in investigating issues like this when they arise.”