New Noise Propagation Modelling Feature for Onshore Wind Farm Planning

June 2, 2025 Articles & PR | Product Update | Onshore 4 min read time

Youwind’s new noise propagation modelling helps onshore wind farm developers assess noise impact, optimize wind farm layout, and ensure regulatory compliance

Smarter Noise Assessment for Onshore Wind Projects

Noise impact is a critical factor in onshore wind farm development. From environmental assessments to community acceptance and regulatory compliance, understanding and managing noise propagation is key to building successful projects.

With its latest 2025 roadmap update, Youwind now offers integrated noise propagation modelling — giving developers a seamless way to evaluate and optimize noise-related constraints directly within their project workflow.

Solution: Youwind’s Integrated Noise Modelling Feature

The new functionality allows users to model noise propagation based on the industry-standard ISO 9613-2 methodology.

Developers can now:

Predict sound levels around the wind farm layout.
Optimize turbine placement and operational strategies to reduce noise impact.
Ensure compliance with regulatory limits.
Improve community acceptance and project viability.

This feature is part of Youwind’s growing capabilities for onshore wind farm planning, which will continue to expand with future roadmap updates.

Key Features of the Noise Modelling Tool

Interactive Noise Heatmap Visualization

A user-controlled heatmap is now available on the New Map (Mapbox map) view:

Visualize noise propagation in surrounding areas.
Adjust heatmap dimensions and noise model inputs for dynamic scenario testing.
Support scenario comparison for wind farms in early-stage planning.

Industry-Standard Noise Modelling

The model follows the ISO 9613-2 standard and accounts for:

Spherical geometrical spreading.
Ground reflection and absorption.
Atmospheric absorption.

Noise calculations incorporate wake-adjusted wind speeds, ensuring accurate, real-world results.

Flexible Noise Curve Management

Users can define Noise Emission Curves in the turbine library:

Create and link noise curves to turbine power curves.
Input sound power levels manually or via CSV import.
Manage multiple noise modes for each turbine model.

Granular Control of Calculation Parameters

Before running calculations, users can set:

Noise curve selection.
Wind direction and speed.
Receiver elevation.
Ground absorption.
Atmospheric parameters (pressure, temperature, humidity).

Additionally, users can control the calculation grid:

Adjust Grid buffer to manage the noise map coverage.
Tune Clustering distance threshold to handle turbine grouping and interaction effects.

Final Thoughts: Small Detail, Big Impact

Seamless Workflow Integration

The noise model:

Integrates with existing wind farm layout and wake loss modelling setup.
Does not require a separate wake calculation — the system handles it automatically.
Outputs key results into two summary tables:
- Noise calculation results table (Park Layout).
- Noise Propagation Overview (Scenario Overview & Finance).

Visualization is toggled easily via the Noise propagation map layer.

Beyond Software: Supporting Smarter Onshore Planning

With this new capability, Youwind continues to provide developers with:

A seamless wind farm planning tool covering engineering, environmental, and financial aspects.
Enhanced support for data-driven decisions in wind energy.
Greater ability to produce bankable yield assessment and financial modelling wind energy outputs that meet regulatory and stakeholder expectations.

The collaborative workflow for wind developers that Youwind promotes is further strengthened with integrated noise assessment — helping bridge engineering, permitting, and community engagement teams

Final Value Proposition: Enabling Better Onshore Wind Projects

Noise management is not just a compliance issue — it’s a key lever for building smarter, more successful onshore wind farm projects.

With Youwind’s new noise propagation modelling feature, developers can:

Optimize turbine layouts for reduced noise impact.
Streamline regulatory approval processes.
Build projects that balance performance, compliance, and community well-being.

Ready to explore the full power of Youwind’s integrated platform? Request a demo today and take your onshore wind planning to the next level.

Written by Ignasi Badia Puyol, Wind and Development Engineer

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