Quantification of Sound Exposure from Wind Turbines in France

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health
• Acoustics
• Public Health

Background:

• Limited evidence exists on wind turbine sound health effects.
• Previous assessments of wind turbine sound exposure were not conducted at a national scale.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a methodology for calculating wind turbine sound levels.
• To estimate the number of residents exposed to wind turbine sound in metropolitan France.

Main Methods:

• Literature review to select the Harmonoise model for sound exposure calculation.
• Validation of the Harmonoise model by quantifying its uncertainties.
• Application of the validated model to estimate population exposure in metropolitan France.

Main Results:

• Wind turbine sound exposure is generally moderate compared to other noise sources.
• Over 80% of exposed individuals experience sound levels below 40 dBA.
• Approximately 1% of the French population (686,000-722,000 people) were exposed to levels above 30 dBA in 2017.

Conclusions:

• This study provides the first national-scale assessment of wind turbine sound exposure in metropolitan France.
• The developed methodology allows for quantifying population exposure to wind turbine noise.
• Findings indicate relatively low sound exposure levels for the majority of the population.