Minimum distance between wind turbine(s) and homes?
For local residents, calculations concerning the noise impact of wind turbines concern the noise exposure on the outer wall of the house. In addition, a distance measure can (also) be used. This is the minimum distance that must be maintained from the foot of the wind turbine to the outer wall of a house.
However, the minimum distance does not guarantee no or less noise. For example, there can be a lot of ambient noise (in an industrial area or near a highway) so that the distance matters less. What is or grows between the mill and the buildings also influences, so that the sound also behaves differently.
There is no minimum distance to be observed in the Netherlands, because keeping a distance is not an end in itself. The aim is to prevent/limit nuisance by keeping the noise level on the facade below a certain value.
Some other countries do work with a minimum distance. For example, in Wallonia and Denmark a minimum distance of 4x the tip height applies. In Italy they keep 6x the tip height. Poland and Bavaria take the lead with a minimum distance of 10x the tip height.
