Guidelines for developing regulations for acoustic impact, based on the stage of operation of wind farms in Chile

Abstract

Wind farms manifest different sonic characteristics than other sources, highlighting the presence of tonal components, low frequency noise and amplitude modulation effect (AM). For these reasons, the international community has developed specific regulations and technical documents to assess the acoustic impact of these cases. Nevertheless, the present Chilean noise regulation, Decreto Supremo N °38/2011 of the Environment Ministry, is not adjusted properly to the situation described above. Considering the exponential increase experienced by this energy source in recent years in Chile, the development of regulations for such features in the operational stage is suggested so that the noise impact can be properly addressed and quantified. Guidelines for the development of an eventual specific Chilean regulation will be proposed by analyzing and comparing international standards. From this work, we will determine the maximum noise levels, methodologies and other suggestions for the proposed target issues.