Operational noise assessment for PV plants and solar parks
Noise assessment for photovoltaic plants: test report on noise protection for the permit and safe operation of your solar park.
PV plants are not noiseless either. Authorities, residents and project partners therefore expect proof that noise protection requirements are met. With the noise assessment, we prepare sound test reports for your PV plants and thereby create trust. We determine the rating levels with modern calculation software and assess them in compliance with standards.
At solar parks, the noise sources are not the modules but the technology: inverters with fans, transformers with their low-frequency hum and, where present, battery storage with cooling. For plants with storage, night is usually decisive, because the lower guide values then apply and storage can run even without sun. Sound propagation is calculated for the nearest dwellings, mostly using the ISO 9613-2 method, and compared with the guide values, which depend on land-use zoning and federal province. Existing background noise from commerce or traffic is included in the assessment. The basis is the sound power levels of the devices stated by the manufacturer; to the extent the assessment procedure requires it, they are taken into account with allowances, for example for tonal noise, and uncertainties are shown traceably, so that the result is on the safe side. Depending on the location of dwellings, terrain shape and ground conditions, the level at the immission point varies greatly. The noise assessment discloses noise sources, assumptions, immission points and results so openly that the authority's experts can follow every step. A robust proof of noise protection also eases discussions with the municipality and residents. The yardstick for reasonableness is the perception of a healthy, normally sensitive person at the respective location. Results are shown separately for day and night at each immission point. If a guide value is exceeded, the noise assessment compares variants, for example with and without sound insulation of the equipment, and shows which combination meets the requirements.
In the electricity-law permit procedure, noise protection is one of the fields of expertise examined, and neighbours can raise objections on noise, for example about inverters. If a guide value is met only narrowly, a few adjustments usually help: a different installation location, more distance to the neighbourhood, quieter devices or acoustic enclosures. A noise barrier, by contrast, achieves little with low sources depending on geometry and is not always the most effective solution. Where it makes sense, we recommend noise optimisation measures within the statutory provisions. Measured values from the site are supplied by sound immission measurement for solar plants.
We coordinate closely with permitting authorities, experts and host municipalities and accompany you in the authority procedure and in discussions with the manufacturer. The noise assessment is part of the expert support for the permit procedure for PV parks. For Agri-PV projects, the land management concept is worth a look, because stations and access roads lie on the agriculturally used land. For battery storage, there is the operational noise assessment for storage.
