Noise Emission from Building Integrated Wind Turbines: A Case Study of a Tall Building

Abstract

Tall buildings have the ability to produce wind energy, having been exposed to relatively high airflow speeds at a far distance from ground levels. However, with the introduction of wind energy into urban areas, there are many concerns. These include especially environmental noise impacts since the wind turbines will be located in dense urban areas where tall buildings are mostly located. Therefore, this increasing use of wind energy in the built environment has led to the publication of up-to-date regulations that limit noise levels for wind farms in many European countries. At this point, the following three aspects should be considered for noise emission: the noise source, the distance from the source, and the sound pressure level of the noise source. The choice of wind turbines for urban environments should, therefore, be compatible with low noise levels. In addition, careful positioning of turbines is also important (avoid locations where wind conditions are unfavorable, avoid sensitive places, i.e. areas at which noise levels must be low). It was necessary to calculate the noise in strong winds because the noise from a wind turbine rises with wind velocity. For the measurement of noise emitted from the wind turbine, two potential solutions were proposed until now; either it could be measured in a wind tunnel or it could be measured in the natural wind outside. However, in the early design stage, these types of measurement methods are mostly not preferable due to high financial requirements and long measurement processes. Hence, in this study, wind turbine noise is simulated via software. A case study of a tall mixed-use tower is chosen and the environmental noise distribution due to the wind turbine located on the roof of the tower is simulated. The results may provide an important guideline for architects looking for an acoustically comfortable way to integrate wind turbines into their buildings in the early design stage.