Sound emissions in solar and battery energy storage projects

While sound levels from solar and battery storage equipment are not unusually high, particularly when compared to other energy generation, a permitting process may require an acoustical evaluation to assess regulatory compliance. The basic acoustical analysis process for solar and battery storage projects is very similar to other facilities: an acoustical model is developed based on the equipment layout and geometry using a propagation standard such as ISO 9613-2. A key input to ISO 9613-2 is the sound level of the equipment. There are several standards and other approaches for determining the sound emissions of the equipment that can be relied on. This paper identifies existing options for determining sound power levels and interpreting and applying sound modeling around the equipment in an acoustical evaluation. Ideas for a standard approach to solar and battery storage source sound levels are discussed.