Presentation to the Alameda County

East County Board of Zoning Adjustments Regarding the

Altamont Winds Repowering Project Sound Issues

Susan Mueller

14 January 2016

Sound

Altamont Surveys Did Not Address Infrasound Issues• Surveys did not measure infrasound which has been shown to create a

multitude of physiological responses in residents in the vicinity of large wind turbines• Sleep disturbance• Tinnitis• Ear pain and Pressure• Headaches• Nausea

• Residents near the Waterloo Wind Farm in Australia described being disturbed and annoyed by vibration, droning, humming, throbbing, whining, and thumping from the wind turbines. • Infrasound is felt inside buildings as well as outside.

East Falmouth, Massachusetts Study

• Noise Control Engineering (NCE) study• Evaluate the acoustic impact at the Andersen home • Goal of the evaluation was to determine if the three nearby wind turbines

were detectable within the interior of the home. • Vestas, model V82 at 1.65 megawatts• “Wind #1” and “Wind #2”owned by the Town of Falmouth; third turbine is

privately owned by Notus Clean Energy and referred to as the “Notus”• Wind #1 is the closest to the Andersen home at a nominal distance of 1,385

feet. • The other two wind turbines are more than double that distance.

East Falmouth, Massachusetts Study• Soon after the first wind turbine was operational, complaints were filed by the Andersens and other neighbors• In the following years, evaluations of audible sound were performed by various organizations including NCE, consultants for the

Town, consultants for Notus, and even the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MADEP).• Various results were reported with some evaluations showing compliance and some showing non-compliance.

• This new study differed in a number of ways from previous evaluations performed• The major difference is that the primary measurements reported is infrasound. • Briefly, infrasound is sound pressure levels with frequency below 20 hertz which is generally considered an inaudible frequency

range. Another difference is that measurements were taken both inside and outside the home. All previous tests were performed at exterior locations due to the fact that State regulations and local ordinance were only applicable at outdoor locations.

The methods used herein allowed for the collection of infrasonic sound pressure levels within the inside of the Andersen residence. Inspection of this data shows that there is a readily identifiable acoustic signature that is attributable to the Wind #1 Turbine, and to slightly lessor extent the Wind #2 turbine both inside and outside the Andersen home. These results are similar to results from other international researchers with references given in the report.

Based on our experience, NCE can unequivocally state that the infrasonic signature captured inside the Andersen residence with the wind turbines operational is 100% attributable to one or both of the Town’s Wind Turbines. To put the conclusions more commonly, this study finds that the wind turbine(s) produce acoustic emissions which are “acoustically trespassing” into the Andersen home.

Sample Infrasound Studies• Health problems in Finland caused by infrasound from wind turbines

• In the summer of 2015 the German Max Planck Institute released a study conducted using a new kind of measurement technology. Contrary to the well-established view, the study showed that the alarm mechanisms of the human brain are sensitive to very low infrasound that is below the hearing threshold.

• In addition to infrasound emissions, the audible low frequency noise of the … wind turbines is directed with force horizontally away from the rotating blades, both downwind and against the wind. The massive air pressure pulse, generated by the blades, that varies with 1-2 seconds intervals, produces low frequency noise that isn’t actually directed at the foot of the wind turbine or on the side

• Australia, Health, Noise, Regulations Wind Farm State Code acoustics review• The low frequencies and infrasound effects cannot be assessed by dBA. By design, the A filtering process

takes away low frequency and infrasound. Low frequencies and infrasound need to be assessed by dBlin which is unfiltered data according to frequency.

• The distance of 1500m as a buffer will not be sufficient for the current size of wind turbine. This distance had originated years ago for much smaller size turbines and at the time was probably a correct distance.

Infrasound Survey Results - South AustraliaResidents living more than 5 km to the East of the Waterloo turbines cannot see whether the wind turbines are operating These Eastern residents are however, regularly aware that the turbines are operating because of what they can hear and feel in terms of noise, pulsing, vibration, sleep disturbance effects, head, ear, eye or chest symptoms or sensations.• The report starts at 1.3 km, 4265ft and goes to 4.5 km, 14,763 ft or 2.8 miles.

(http://www.wind-watch.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Waterloo-Wind-Farm-Survey.pdf)

• Alameda County Windmill Noise Standard has no way to know what the LFN these new turbine emit or what set backs should be. Studies need to be going on at the new installed IWT for LFS study by an 3 party with no political influence from outside.