A report commissioned by the Department for Business and Industrial Strategy to look at assessment of noise from onshore wind farms is now published. Acoustic consultants WSP were asked to examine whether the guidance currently used - ETSU-R-97 – in use since 1996 - should be updated. The report concludes that noise limits for onshore wind turbines should be revisited to reflect advances in onshore wind turbine technology, scientific evidence of the potential impact of wind turbine noise, and the evolution of government noise policies. In addition the research indicates that the current guidance does not fully address the potential impact of amplitude modulation in wind turbine sound, and advises on further areas of the guidance likely to benefit from updating.
Read a fuller summary of the report
