Amrob Flevoland – News – Noise expert: 'The way noise pollution from wind turbines is measured is unfair and cannot be explained to citizens'

“If you have noise pollution from wind turbines, you can’t do anything about it. Enforcement is complicated. It’s because of the way we measure the noise from the turbines.” Plain language from Erik Roelofsen of the Dutch Noise Pollution Foundation. He is an authority on noise pollution. “The problem is that wind turbines look at the annual average noise level.”

People living near wind turbines sometimes suffer from this. People around Swifterbant also complain about the view, but especially about the sound of the rotating blades and the humming generators. Despite numerous reports to the municipality and lawsuits to the State Council, nothing has changed yet.

Annual average
For wind turbines, the noise level that is produced on average over a year is taken into account. “The days when the turbine is not working at all, because there is no wind, are also counted. This is actually not fair. For example, an outdoor air conditioning unit must meet a fixed standard at all times. You can then measure the noise level for a few minutes and then know whether the device is suitable or not, which is not possible with wind turbines,” explains the noise expert.

Annual averages of noise from traffic on or around Schiphol are also being considered. According to Roelofsen, it is good that the government gets things done, but it does not explain them properly to the citizens. “At night, the windmill can make a lot of noise when the wind is blowing. But if you turn it off on a calm day, there is nothing to worry about.”

Dronten Research Municipality
Dronten has been measuring the noise from the municipality’s wind turbines for a year and a half. Roelofsen thinks that’s a very good thing. He just thinks it’s a shame that nothing has been done with the results. “They said beforehand that they wouldn’t enforce it if necessary,” says Roelofsen. “You have to do something with the results for the locals if they are bothered by them. You shouldn’t just take these measurements.”

The Windbrekers Working Group's noise pollution enforcement application has already been rejected by the Environment Agency, which says it will be monitoring the pulse to ensure wind farms comply with existing regulations.