Methods for addressing variable turbine operations during wind farm noise compliance monitoring

Abstract

Post-construction wind farm noise measurements at dwelling locations are commonly required in Australia to verify compliance with regulatory and contractual noise limits. These measurements are often required as soon as the wind farm has begun operating. However, commissioning issues and electricity network restrictions are a common occurrence during the initial stages of operation. Large wind farm projects are also commonly commissioned in stages. As a result, curtailed modes of operation and shutdowns are a regular occurrence, and large sections of a wind farm may only be operating intermittently. This presents challenges to obtaining noise measurement data that is representative of normal operation of the wind farm and may ultimately limit the conclusions that are able to be reached from measurements during the early stages of operation. To address these challenges, it is necessary to identify and account for any periods when operational noise levels may be lower as a result of turbines being curtailed or shut down. Several methods have been developed for this purpose, and range from simple procedures that remove any data affected by curtailment or shutdown, through to more complex assessments of the magnitude and implications of the uncertainty introduced by variable wind turbine operations. These methods are presented and assessed in this paper with case studies of their application to operational projects.