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Short abstract:

Wind turbine noise continues to be a controversial issue spurring local opposition to wind farms. This controversy is explored through disputes between experts and lay people on how to frame and contain the intangible waves that constitute wind turbine noise.

Long abstract:

When wind causes the blades of wind turbines to move, energy is extracted but other matters are set in motion as well. This paper turns to the sound waves which are emitted when the blades move through the air. In studies on the social acceptance of wind energy, noise is reported to be one of the most common reasons for local opposition to wind farms. Common explanations of why noise emerge as a main point of contention state that people find it annoying or fear its potential health effects. However, little effort has been made to consider if the controversial character of wind turbine noise also stems from its constitution as invisible waves.

Employing the vocabulary of Callon (1998), wind turbine noise is understood as problematic overflows that experts are trying to model and measure in order to frame and contain the issue. A series of connected attempts at containing wind turbine noise is explored: (1) Regulating wave intensity by setting limit values for wind turbine noise. (2) Demarcating problematic waves from tolerable ones through noise propagation maps. (3) Assessing effects of wave exposure through health studies. It is described how all these expert framings are rejected or reinterpreted by worried citizens who approach noise differently through bodily experiences. The paper calls for greater dialogue between the expert framings and lay people’s experiences of wind turbine noise.