Sound Advice is a short DVD that Wind Farm Developers can use to explain, in a fun and interesting way, the context of sound measurement and measuring sound from wind turbines.
In the 19-minute feature, host Peter Elliot dives head first into the world of acoustics with the help of international expert Malcolm Hayes.
Peter measures everyday sounds in and around the home - from the kitchen tap and a door slamming to a rowdy party.
Peter then journeys to White Hill wind farm, in Southland, where he measures the sound from its wind turbines and talks to local residents to discover what they think of the wind turbines at White Hill.
Sound Advice includes:
- An introduction to how sound is measured and the decibel scale, and measurements of common sounds around the home.
- An interview with Malcolm Hayes, international wind turbine noise expert, in which he explains background noise and infrasound.
- Sound measurements on and around a wind farm, demonstrating that from more than few hundred metres away it is often hard to distinguish between sound from wind turbines and background noise.
- Interviews with people who live near White Hill wind farm, demonstrating that noise from the wind turbines is not an issue for them.
In a DVD extra, Malcolm Hayes answers a range of questions about sound and sound measurement, including:
- How complicated is noise measurement?
- How does sound pressure change with distance?
- What is the difference between background noise, tonal noise and infrasound?
- How has turbine technology changed?
- How do you make sound predictions when you plan sites?
Summary of rental options
Sound Advice can be rented from the New Zealand Wind Energy Association.
For more information about packages and costs please call +64 4 499 5047 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Developer licence ($25000 for 5 year licence)
- NZWEW will supply you with 40 copies of Sound Advice. You can use Sound Advice for any project in New Zealand (and Australia by agreement) during the rental period.
Large project licence ($5000 for 18 months use)
- NZWEA will supply you with 5 copies of Sound Advice. You can use these copies for community relations and consent related activities for a specified project of over 10MW.
Small project licence ($2500 for 12 months use)
- NZWEA will supply you with 2 copies of Sound Advice. You can use these copies for community relations and consent related activities for a specified project of 10MW or less.
Daily rental for non-project related use ($250 per day)
- NZWEA will supply you with 1 copy of Sound Advice that you can use for educational purposes (unrelated to consenting or community relations for a wind farm project).
All copies of Sound Advice are to be returned to NZWEA at the end of the rental period.