Rand, R. Congratulations on Cape Bridgewater Acoustic Study & Report

January 21, 2015

Mr. Steven Cooper
The Acoustics Group Sydney

Dear Steven,

Re: Cape Bridgewater Wind Farm Acoustic Study

Congratulations on this superlative work investigating the neighbor reports and correlating (unintended) adverse effects of the facility. The scope and detail of your report is sure to assist acoustic investigators, planners, utilities, and the public to understand without any further doubt or dismissal what wind turbine neighbors have been saying for years, as you so clearly sum up,

“What we found was that previously they were complaining about the noise, but it wasn’t really the noise, it was sensations.”

The report’s establishing of tonal energy at the blade pass and harmonics along with higher frequencies with sidebands as the wind turbine signature, puts to rest any further tendency by acoustic professionals to rely on constant-percentage bands to attempt to assess neighbor impacts from wind turbine signals.

The correlation of sensation level to WTS tone level in the infrasonic and audible bands brings wind turbine acoustics right to the door of medical science. Medical tests in the homes, long overdue, can now be correlated directly to WTS. May the medical testing in homes begin without further delay.

I would like to express my deep appreciation to Pacific Hydro for sponsoring the study and providing turbine on/off conditions for evaluation.

Best Regards,

Robert W Rand, ASA, INCE

Download Robert Rand’s letter →