Evaluation of risk perception related with environmental noise among residents living in different vicinities of wind turbines

ABSTRACT

This cross-sectional study assessed residents' risk perceptions and associated factors in three rural areas by administering a face-to-face questionnaire to 282 subjects. The association between the perception of risk related to wind turbines and related factors such as noise and annoyance was analysed. Outdoor A-weighted sound pressure levels were measured for all. According to regression analysis, age (B: -0.008, 95% CI: -0.015/-0.002), education (B: 0.415, 95% CI: 0.148/-0.682), noise level day (B: -0.040, 95% CI: -0.068/-0. 013), noise annoyance indoors (B: 0.504, 95% CI: 0.227/0.781) and distance (B: 0.000, 95% CI: 0.000/0.000) had a significant effect on high risk perception (p < 0.05). This demonstrates that, in addition to noise, non-acoustic factors also influence risk perception. Ensuring community participation and considering distance before installation could prevent negative risk perceptions and annoyance.  

KEYWORDS:

• Risk perception
• wind turbine
• noise
• annoyance

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Ege University Planning and Monitoring Coordination of Organizational Development and Directorate of Library and Documentation for their support in editing and proofreading service of this study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Authors’ contributions

HH and AAT designed the study, AAT collected the data, AAT and HH prepared, analysed and interpreted the data. AAT wrote the paper, with critical revisions from HH. All authors have read and approved the final version of this paper. All authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.

Availability of data and materials

The datasets generated and/or analysed during the current study are available in the Mendeley Data, V1 repository (Ata Teneler and Hassoy (2021), “Wind turbine related risk perception”, Mendeley Data, V1, doi: 10.17632/9nrxgkcyc9.1).

Ethics approval and consent to participate

The ethics committee approval was given by the ethics board of Ege University (no: 19–1.1T/28) in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration. Informed consent of the participants was obtained. Research permission had been obtained from Urla, Karaburun and Güzelbahçe District Governorates.

List of abbreviations

WT	=	Wind turbines
WPP	=	Wind power plant
WTN	=	WT noise
dB (A)	=	A-weighted decibel
dB(Z)	=	Z- weighted decibel
MW	=	Megawatt
ISO	=	International Organization for Standardization
LAeq	=	A-weighted equivalent continuous sound level
Lden	=	Level day, evening and night

Additional information

Funding

In the residential noise level data collection process, environmental noise measurements was supported financially by Ege University- Scientific Research Projects Coordination- Research Foundation (project no: TTU-2019 20559).