Abstract
With the gradual depletion of traditional fossil fuels, it is essential to find sustainable alternatives, such as wind energy. Wind turbines, despite the many advantages, generate mechanical and aerodynamic noise, causing an impact on the health of the nearby population. This study aimed to verify whether the vegetation could be an acoustic barrier. Also aimed to verify the influence of the distance between wind turbines and housings. The measurements were made in the surroundings of ‘Lousã I’ wind farm (Lousã, Portugal), in areas with and without vegetation and close to housings. Measurement points were defined at 100 m, 500 m, 1000 m, 1300 m and 2000 m, for a total of 80 measurements in order to calculate the levels of infrasound and low frequency noise. For measurements, it was used the sound level meter CESVA SC420, the Q-TRAK Plus IAQ Monitor with Air Velocity Probe Model 8592 for measure air velocity and the software IBM SPSS Statistics version 26, for statistical analysis. It was possible to verify that, in areas with low vegetation, the noise level was higher, i.e., in areas where there are trees, the noise tends to be lower than in areas with low vegetation. It was also found that the highest levels of infrasound and low frequency noise were located closer to the wind turbines. Nevertheless, the levels still high at 2000 m. It is concluded that the characteristics of the vegetation may influence attenuation. However, the attenuation is not enough to prevent it from reaching residential areas. Thus, it is importance to consider this source and this noise as a potential public health issue.
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Almeida, J., Santos, M., Stefuryn, R., Figueiredo, J.P., Ferreira, A. (2021). Variation of Infrasound and Low Frequency Noise Produced by Wind Turbines, Regarding Distance and Vegetation - Case Study. In: da Costa Sanches Galvão, J.R., et al. Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Water Energy Food and Sustainability (ICoWEFS 2021). ICoWEFS 2021. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-75315-3_46
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