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Wind Turbine Sound Setbacks: Ordinances (2024) and Extrapolated Trends, 115 Hub Height, 170 Rotor Diameter
This dataset provides a comprehensive assessment of wind turbine sound setbacks for all residential structures across the contiguous United States (CONUS). A sound setback is defined as the minimum distance required between a residential structure and a hypothetical turbine installation site such that modeled sound levels received at the residence do not exceed local sound ordinances, typically expressed in A-weighted decibels (dBA). In modeling sound pressure levels from each turbine location, the highest sound level at each distance step, regardless of directional variation, was applied, which aligns with current industry practice.
The sound setback data are provided in GeoTIFF (TIF) format, with corresponding PNG files available for visualization. Raster data are presented at a spatial resolution of 90 meters. Each grid cell contains a value ranging from 0 to 1, indicating the proportion of developable land within that cell under applicable sound ordinance constraints. A value of 0 denotes complete development restriction, while a value of 1 indicates full permissibility. The wind turbine parameters used in the sound modeling were a hub-height of 115 meters and a rotor diameter of 170 meters, as obtained from the 2024 Annual Technology Baseline (ATB). Two siting scenarios are included: a reference scenario and a limited siting scenario.
Complete Metadata
| @type | dcat:Dataset |
|---|---|
| accessLevel | public |
| bureauCode |
[
"019:20"
]
|
| contactPoint |
{
"fn": "NREL Geospatial Data Science",
"@type": "vcard:Contact",
"hasEmail": "mailto:rev@nrel.gov"
}
|
| dataQuality |
true
|
| description | This dataset provides a comprehensive assessment of wind turbine sound setbacks for all residential structures across the contiguous United States (CONUS). A sound setback is defined as the minimum distance required between a residential structure and a hypothetical turbine installation site such that modeled sound levels received at the residence do not exceed local sound ordinances, typically expressed in A-weighted decibels (dBA). In modeling sound pressure levels from each turbine location, the highest sound level at each distance step, regardless of directional variation, was applied, which aligns with current industry practice. The sound setback data are provided in GeoTIFF (TIF) format, with corresponding PNG files available for visualization. Raster data are presented at a spatial resolution of 90 meters. Each grid cell contains a value ranging from 0 to 1, indicating the proportion of developable land within that cell under applicable sound ordinance constraints. A value of 0 denotes complete development restriction, while a value of 1 indicates full permissibility. The wind turbine parameters used in the sound modeling were a hub-height of 115 meters and a rotor diameter of 170 meters, as obtained from the 2024 Annual Technology Baseline (ATB). Two siting scenarios are included: a reference scenario and a limited siting scenario. |
| distribution |
[
{
"@type": "dcat:Distribution",
"title": "Wind Sound Setbacks 115hh 170rd Extrapolated Map - Limited Scenario.png",
"format": "png",
"mediaType": "image/png",
"description": "Cartographic map of sound setbacks for wind technology. This is the extrapolated version where a constant sound ordinance of 50 dBA to is extrapolated to counties that lack specific sound regulations. ",
"downloadURL": "https://data.openei.org/files/8499/Wind_Sound_Setbacks_115hh_170rd_Limited_Map.png"
},
{
"@type": "dcat:Distribution",
"title": "Wind Sound Setbacks 115hh 170rd Extrapolated Map - Reference Scenario.png",
"format": "png",
"mediaType": "image/png",
"description": "Cartographic map of sound setbacks for wind technology. This is the extrapolated version where a constant sound ordinance of 55 dBA to is extrapolated to counties that lack specific sound regulations. ",
"downloadURL": "https://data.openei.org/files/8499/Wind_Sound_Setbacks_115hh_170rd_Reference_Map.png"
},
{
"@type": "dcat:Distribution",
"title": "Wind Sound Setbacks 115hh 170rd Extrapolated Data - Limited Scenario.tif",
"format": "tif",
"mediaType": "application/octet-stream",
"description": "The product estimates sound setbacks based on sound ordinances in counties that have implemented sound regulations as of 2022. In counties without explicit sound regulations, a uniform threshold of 50 dBA is applied. This sound threshold is commonly adopted by counties that enforce more restrictive sound regulations. The dataset’s values range from 0 to 1, with each fractional value indicating the percentage of developable area within a pixel. Due to size, a GIS software is likely needed to open this file. ",
"downloadURL": "https://data.openei.org/files/8499/wind_sound_setbacks_115hh_170rd_ordinances_limited_scenario_sl.tif"
},
{
"@type": "dcat:Distribution",
"title": "Wind Sound Setbacks 115hh 170rd Extrapolated Data - Reference Scenario.tif",
"format": "tif",
"mediaType": "application/octet-stream",
"description": "The product estimates sound setbacks based on sound ordinances in counties that have implemented sound regulations as of 2022. In counties without explicit sound regulations, a uniform threshold of 55 dBA is applied, reflecting the median value observed among counties with adopted sound regulations. The dataset’s values range from 0 to 1, with each fractional value indicating the percentage of developable area within a pixel. Due to size, a GIS software is likely needed to open this file. ",
"downloadURL": "https://data.openei.org/files/8499/wind_sound_setbacks_115hh_170rd_ordinances_reference_scenario_sl.tif"
}
]
|
| identifier | https://data.openei.org/submissions/8499 |
| issued | 2025-09-09T06:00:00Z |
| keyword |
[
"Land-based Wind",
"PNG",
"Regulatory",
"Setbacks",
"Siting Lab",
"SitingLab",
"Sound Ordinances",
"Sound Regulations",
"Sound Setbacks",
"TIF",
"Wind Turbine",
"county ordinance",
"data",
"regulation",
"regulatory constraints",
"turbine",
"wind energy",
"wind power"
]
|
| landingPage | https://data.openei.org/submissions/8499 |
| license | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
| modified | 2025-09-12T16:09:11Z |
| programCode |
[
"019:000",
"019:010"
]
|
| projectNumber |
"34877"
|
| projectTitle | Spatial Analysis for Wind Technology Development |
| publisher |
{
"name": "National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)",
"@type": "org:Organization"
}
|
| spatial |
"{"type":"Polygon","coordinates":[[[-125.4514,24.5873],[-66.5318,24.5873],[-66.5318,49.2637],[-125.4514,49.2637],[-125.4514,24.5873]]]}"
|
| title | Wind Turbine Sound Setbacks: Ordinances (2024) and Extrapolated Trends, 115 Hub Height, 170 Rotor Diameter |
