The DecoWind project will investigate noise from wind turbine. The Innovation Foundation invests 13 million DKK in the project.

Purpose

To achieve Denmark’s goal of being fossil-free by 2050, green energy must significantly increase, with wind energy playing a major role. While offshore wind turbines are essential, onshore turbines remain cheaper and easier to maintain, making them more cost-effective. However, noise regulations often limit their energy production potential.

The DecoWind project, supported by Innovation Fund Denmark with 13.4 million DKK, brings together DTU Wind Energy, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, EMD International, and FORCE Technology to investigate wind turbine noise. The goal is to develop global tools for precise noise calculations and noise modulation, enabling more energy production without exceeding noise limits.

“We aim to create high-fidelity noise chain models that accurately predict wind turbine and wind farm noise while optimizing annual energy output within existing noise restrictions,” says Wen Zong Shen, professor at DTU Wind Energy and project leader.

Smart noise regulation

The DecoWind project, which runs for three years, addresses wind turbine noise - a significant concern worldwide. Siemens-Gamesa Renewable Energy is keen to enhance noise modulation tools and develop smarter regulations, allowing higher energy output without violating noise limits. Stefan Oerlemans, Senior Key Expert Aeroacoustics at Siemens-Gamesa, explains, “This project will help us lower wind energy costs while considering societal restrictions.”

The models developed will be available globally through EMD International’s windPRO software. Thomas Sørensen, acoustics-responsible at EMD, emphasizes, “We aim to offer operators, planners, and authorities a solution that optimizes production while protecting nearby residents. Our dynamic approach sets us apart from current tools.”

Additionally, DecoWind will propose smarter noise regulations to more accurately measure the noise experienced by neighbors. Currently, the noise limit for wind turbines is 37 dB in residential areas and 42 dB in less populated areas at wind speeds of 6 m/s.