Authors: T. Kelsall & C. Tickell
Internoise 2008, October 26-29, 2008
Abstract
Australia and Canada are similar sized and governed countries with expanding
developments in wind energy. In Australia, current installed wind energy is 817 MW with
6000 MW under investigation or development. In Canada, installed capacity is 1,856 MW
with 3,200 MW in development. Development of wind energy in Australia is often
constrained by permitting and approvals requirements, with noise often being cited as an
area of concern by potentially affected residents. In Canada, the most active provinces
(Alberta, Ontario and Quebec) have noise guidelines and routinely review proposed
industrial installations for their noise impact. Ontario has a specific guideline for wind
turbines, with limits rising as the wind speed increases. This paper reviews permitting and
approval regimes in both Australia and Canada, with a view to determining if policies in
noise management (amongst other policies) by authorities have an influence on the rate of
development. Approvals processing of recent wind farm developments will be reviewed,
conditions to be achieved and policies for environmental noise quality compared.
