Comparing the regulatory constraints imposed on wind farm developments in the UK (particularly Scotland) with those commonly used and proposed in Australia and New Zealand and commenting on the potential economic cost of these constraints with respect to the energy producing potential of future developments

摘要

In Scotland, Planning Advice Note 45 (Revised 2002) Renewable Energy Technologies, and the associated NPPG 6 (Revised 2000) Renewable Energy Developments, steers the assessment of wind farm noise towards the methodology set out in the ETSU report titled "The assessment and rating of noise from wind farms". This document, which is generally used throughout the UK to assess wind farm noise, was produced in 1996. Its authors recommended that it and its recommendations be reviewed two years after publication. In all States of Australia except Victoria, wind farm developments are assessed according to the approach developed by the South Australian EPA. These guidelines have recently been reviewed and new guidelines were published in July 2009. Wind farm development in Victoria and New Zealand are currently assessed against NZS6808:1998 Acoustics - Assessment & measurement of sound from wind turbine generators. A review of this Standard has also been commissioned and was recently completed in 2007. A draft standard was released for public comment in February 2009. A draft Australian Standard also exists, dated March 2007, however an official Australian Standard has never been issued. The way in which wind farm noise is regulated, noise propagation modeled and the key noise indices defined and measured, can have a profound impact on the size and viability of the proposed development. This paper identifies recent developments in regulatory control of wind farm noise and discusses how changes to the assessment methodology in Scotland might impact on the scale and productivity of future developments.