Identifying and Overcoming the Challenges of Offshore Wind Park Noise in Japan

Abstract

This paper outlines general and specific noise related challenges from the growing demand for offshore wind park developments in the Japanese market. Offshore wind parks can contain a greater number of wind turbines with higher noise emission compared to onshore wind turbines. Japan's bathymetry characteristics impose the necessity to place fixed bottom offshore turbines close to the shore, potentially adding to the overall noise impact on built up coastal areas from onshore wind turbines, railways, roads and other industry. For this reason, careful planning and noise immission prediction for offshore developments is required. The guidelines, from the Office of Odor, Noise and Vibration Ministry of the Environment Government of Japan (2016), for the assessment of wind turbine noise recommend the use of ISO 9613-2:1996 for onshore wind turbines. However, this method is not suited for the propagation over large bodies of water and for offshore wind noise propagation estimation. Therefore, a better understanding of noise propagation over water, such as in the study by Søndergaard et al. (FORCE Technology, 2023), is required, with findings to enhance sustainable development of offshore wind parks.