Designing powerful yet silent wind turbines In order to see more intensive use being made of wind turbines as a renewable energy source, it is perhaps paramount that their design is optimised in order to reduce the unwanted noise they generate. The SIROCCO project has paved the way for the creation of a new generation of wind turbines with improved acoustic performance. Energy © Shutterstock Wind energy is rapidly becoming a popular source of generating electrical power. It has considerable advantages in that it is a renewable energy source and reduces CO2 emissions. However one of the main difficulties associated with the wind turbine is the noise pollution it creates and it can be argued that this is the main reason for limiting the widespread use of wind energy in Europe. The noise generated and the likelihood of it becoming stressful to those living or working in close proximity to turbines is dependent on a number of factors. It is determined to a large extent by how it compares to the existing background noise. This could potentially make the difference between turbines sounding like a gentle hum in the distance to being a distressing pulsating noise when not masked by background noise. The SIROCCO project investigated how to adapt the design of the turbine in order to reduce the noise created without reducing its generation efficiency. The scientists looked at improving the acoustic performance of the wind turbine whilst maintaining the strict geometrical and aerodynamic constraints applied. They tested amongst other things, the possibility of controlling the properties of the boundary layer of wind turbine blades. The research highlighted promising avenues for further investigation into a new generation of turbines. It also revealed that more investigation is needed in order to fully understand the mechanisms of noise in wind turbines. It was noted that in this context the collaboration between industry and other institutions should take centre stage. The project was the first step in achieving this goal since it brought together a network of companies and institutions that work together across Europe with a common objective of reducing noise emitted by wind turbines.
