Who are actually hindering the energy transition?

Wind energy opponents and supporters clash over whether noise and infrasound from turbines can be harmful to health. Uppsala University researcher Ken Mattisson has raised the question that some wind turbine energy may dissipate at very low frequencies that conventional measurements may not capture. Meanwhile, wind and solar energy continue to appear cheaper in both economic and health costs compared to fossil fuels.

Wind energy has become one of the most important pillars of the green transition in recent decades. Turbines generate electricity without carbon emissions and their fuel, wind, is free and unlimited. Yet along with electricity, wind turbines also produce sound, the full effects of which science may not yet fully understand.

Scientist raises question about infrasound

Uppsala University researcher Ken Mattisson has raised a significant question: with large wind turbines, part of the energy they "harness" may dissipate at very low frequencies, so-called infrasound, that conventional measurements may fail to capture with sufficient precision. This means that our current measurement standards may be too narrow to properly assess the full impact of turbines on the surrounding environment and people.

At the same time, many people living near wind turbines report various health and wellbeing problems, sleep disturbances, dizziness, headaches, the precise causes of which often remain unclear. The question is whether these experiences stem from a previously unstudied physical and physiological phenomenon or whether other factors are at play.

Comparison with fossil fuels favours wind

Despite these questions, wind energy and solar energy continue to appear significantly cheaper in health costs than energy produced by burning oil, gas, coal or oil shale. The burning of fossil fuels causes documented harm to both human health and the natural environment, air pollution, climate change and associated diseases are well documented.

This has become the main argument for why converting wind and solar energy into electricity receives so much attention worldwide. The "fuel" is free, after all, the wind blows and the sun shines without sending a bill.

Measurement and openness to debate

Wind turbines are already assessed and measured for the noise they produce and its impact on both people, nature and animals. The question is whether current standards are sufficiently comprehensive to cover all possible impacts, including low-frequency sound.

The success of the energy transition depends on the debate being honest and open: legitimate scientific questions must not be ignored, but neither should we be misled by claims lacking sufficient evidence. Who are actually hindering the energy transition, those who ask questions, or those who avoid answering them?