This report presents the development of novel open-source mapping tools designed to assess the noise, shadow flicker, and safety impacts of wind turbines on the population in Europe. Concerning noise, the tool presented addresses the growing concern over wind turbine noise emissions and their compliance with World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines.
The tool leverages a comprehensive collection of datasets to predict aerodynamic sound emissions and propagation from wind turbines. It also uses New European Wind Atlas (NEWA) data to assess wind conditions relevant to noise propagation. Concerning shadow flickers, we have developed a Python tool to assess its intensity (in hours per year) for individual turbines. It requires as input the location, time, and a simplified geometrical representation of the turbine. The results are close to the ones that can be obtained with the industry and academic standards. The data set includes examples of calculating one location in different temporal resolutions when performing the shadow flicker assessment.
The developed tool can deliver a high-level shadow flicker assessment in seconds and is open source, which should ensure its integration into the WIMBY Web-GIS. Follow-up work towards D2.4. will include improving calculation speed and adding further parameters to the model. Finally, a comprehensive risk assessment of onshore and offshore wind power accidents is developed based on the established framework for evaluating energy technologies. The focus is on occupational and public human health risks and calculating relevant risk indicators such as accident, fatality, and injury rates.
For this purpose, a global accident database is compiled that builds upon publicly available data and covers events since 2000. Next, data are evaluated for different attributes (e.g., accident types, etc.), temporal and geographic trends, and normalised risk indicators are calculated. Lastly, an accident risk tool is produced, providing spatially disaggregated risk indicators maps for Europe, which will also be integrated into the WIMBY Web-GIS. The report outlines each tool’s methodology, data acquisition, analysis, and development process, highlighting its potential to aid policymakers and planners in evaluating the impacts of wind turbine installations. The tools’ implications for sustainable wind energy development are significant, offering a resource for balancing renewable energy goals with community well-being. Future enhancements and potential applications in other regions are also discussed.