Do wind turbines make as much noise as a vacuum cleaner?

First of all: do you know where the sound comes from? The noise produced by a wind turbine mainly comes from two sources: on the one hand, the mechanical components moving inside the turbine, and on the other hand, the blades rotating through the air. How loud it sounds depends on wind speed and on the existing background noise.

That said, noise is often a matter of personal perception. What one person finds disturbing may barely be noticeable to someone else. In Flanders, strict regulations apply — and they are even stricter in the evening and at night than during the day. That is why wind turbines often operate at reduced speed at night to limit noise as much as possible. In residential areas, the noise level from wind turbines is comparable to that of a library — in other words, relatively low.

And here’s some good news: noise cannot simply be added up linearly. Two wind turbines do not produce twice as much noise, but only slightly more — a difference that is barely perceptible.