NOISE IMPACT ASSESSMENT OF ADAMA I WIND FARM

Abstract

The study was conducted to determine sound created from wind turbine under a variety of wind conditions at a variety of distances from the wind turbine base. The initial energy in the sound was distributed over a larger and larger area as the distance from the source increased. Most of the sound generated by wind turbines was aerodynamic, caused by the movement of turbine blades through the air. The study was carried out in three different directions; front, back, at forty five degree angle and at perpendicular distance from the center of a line joining two turbines. For wind conditions three wind categories; high, medium and low were tested. The sounds from the turbines were recorded using microphones and its accessories and analyzed by Matlab software using the function wavrecord. The result of the study indicate turbine generated noises exponential dependence on both distance and wind speed, especially for front and back directions. The effects of wind directions and sound contributions from other turbines influenced the other directions. Data points showed high variability because of interferences. In this research only day time data were used. The researcher encourages further studies on noise level during night time to determine the overall impact