Murra Warra Solar Farm and Battery Storage Facility Environmental Noise Assessment S4453.1C6 September 2017
Author Reviewer
Jason Turner (MAAS) Chris Turnbull (MAAS)
Jason Turner Associate Phone: +61 (0) 410 920 122 Email: [email protected] www.sonus.com.au
sonus.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Murra Warra Solar Farm Environmental Noise Assessment addresses the requirements of the
Victorian Planning Provisions by objectively assessing the noise from the proposed 235MW fixed
array solar farm and the 300MWh battery storage facility against the Noise from Industry in Regional
Victoria Guidelines (the NIRV).
A detailed noise model has been prepared for the proposed solar farm inverter/transformer layout
and battery cooling systems to enable noise predictions for the operation of the solar farm and
battery storage facility to be made and compared against the project’s assessment criteria.
Based on the above assessment, the Murra Warra Solar Farm and Battery Storage Facility will
achieve the relevant environmental noise criteria at all relevant receiver locations, and in turn, will
achieve the relevant requirements of the Victorian Planning Provisions.
The assessment will be repeated once the final solar inverter/transformer selection and battery
storage facility cooling system arrangement is known and any changes to the layout have been made
to ensure compliance with the project’s environmental noise criteria prior to construction.
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INTRODUCTION
Sonus has conducted an environmental noise assessment of the proposed Murra Warra Solar Farm
and Battery Storage Facility, located near Horsham, Victoria, based on the following data:
the proposed layout of the solar farm as detailed in Appendix A (providing the solar
inverter locations);
the location of existing residences within 2km of the proposed solar farm as detailed in
Appendix B;
A representative inverter comprising the SMA Solar Technology AG SC 2500-EV; and,
The understanding that a battery storage facility will be constructed comprising two
buildings, each with 127 off 50 kW roof mounted air conditioning systems.
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SITE LOCATION AND PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The Murra Warra Solar Farm and Battery Storage Facility is located approximately 32 kilometres due
north of Horsham in the Wimmera region of Victoria and is wholly within a Farming Zone (FZ). The
location is in close proximity to the proposed Murra Warra Wind Farm and will utilise its
infrastructure.
The primary land use in the region is broad acre cropping (wheat, barley, pulses, canola, etc;) with
some sheep grazing. The area is sparsely populated with only 4 inhabited dwellings within 2km of
the development.
The project will consist of a Solar PV facility of up to 235MW AC arranged as either a series of fixed
or tracker arrays. The arrays consist of approximately 900,000 1mx2mx0.05m PV panels mounted on
steel or aluminum racking. The PV modules for a fixed array are arranged to face north, however, for
a tracker array, the modules are arranged north to south with the panels tilting around a centre rail
to follow the sun’s trajectory throughout the day.
Solar Farm Site Battery Storage Area
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There will be a number of 7m wide graded tracks across the site to allow all weather access for
construction and operational maintenance. There will be a small control building and warehouse /
maintenance building at the entrance to the site.
Power from the panels will be inverted from direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC) and then
transformed to 33kV and transported back to a central collector point located in the northwest of
the site close to the location of the control building and maintenance facilities. Power will then be
carried along a double circuit 33kV line which runs north then west (2km in total) of the solar farm to
the site of the proposed Terminal Station for Murra Warra Wind Farm. There will be a metering
point and some reactive power plant at the terminal station. Power will then be exported to the grid
via the wind farm 33kV to 220kV transformer.
The project will also include a 300MWh battery storage facility which will comprise of two purpose
built buildings which will house banks of Lithium Ion batteries and control equipment. The cooling
system for each building will comprise up to 127 off 50 kW roof mounted air conditioning units.
The project may include some stock proof fencing of up to 2m height and CCTV cameras depending
on the Solar Farms Insurance requirements.
There will be up to three temporary construction compounds across the site which will house
laydown areas, batch plant, offices etc. These facilities will be removed once work has been
completed and the land rehabilitated.
Noise producing equipment will comprise:
up to 90 inverter/transformer units which will be distributed throughout the solar farm with
an expected capacity not exceeding 2500kVA (dependant on final design selections); and
up to 127 roof mounted air conditioning units located on each of the battery storage
buildings with an expected capacity of 50kW each (dependant on final design selections).
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VICTORIAN PLANNING PROVISIONS
State Planning Policy Framework Section 13.04-1 Noise Abatement
The Section ensures that development is not prejudiced and community amenity is not reduced by
noise emission. Where relevant, the Section requires the Interim Guidelines for Control of Noise from
Industry in Country Victoria (Environment Protection Authority, 1989) to be considered.
State Planning Policy Framework Section 19.01-1 Renewable Energy
The Section promotes the provision of renewable energy development in appropriate locations, to
meet the community demand for energy services.
Particular Provisions Section 52.42 Renewable Energy Facility (Other than a Wind Energy Facility
and Geothermal Energy Extraction)
The Section states that an application must be accompanied by a design response which includes a
report detailing an assessment of “the potential amenity impacts such as noise...”.
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ASSESSMENT
Clause 13.04-1 in the State Planning Policy Framework makes reference to the Interim Guidelines for
Control of Noise from Industry in Country Victoria (Environment Protection Authority, 1989), which
have since been finalised and released in October 2011 as the Guidelines for Noise from Industry in
Regional Victoria – Publication 1411 (NIRV).
The NIRV provides recommended maximum noise levels based on the planning zone of the noise
source and noise receiver. Based on the “Farming Zone” location of both the solar farm and the
relevant residences, the most stringent (i.e. lowest allowable noise level) criterion which could be
applied becomes 36 dB(A) LAeq1.
The criterion has been derived based on the night time noise limits of the NIRV, given that sunrise
may occur prior to 7am for some periods of the year. Applying the night time criterion which
assumes continual operation between 10pm and 7am every night of the year is therefore a
conservative approach when considering that the inverters will predominantly operate during the
day time period only.
1 This criterion corresponds to the recommended night-time (10pm to 7am) noise level for a noise source
which can operate continuously over a 24 hour period.
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METHODOLOGY
The assessment methodology incorporates:
predictions of noise levels from the combined operation of the solar inverter/transformer
units and the battery storage facility cooling systems at occupied dwellings;
comparison against the project’s assessment criterion of 36 dB(A).
Predictions
Noise from the solar farm has been predicted based on the representative use of 2.5MW SMA
inverter/transformer units. The proposed layout consists of 90 units with the coordinates of each
given in Appendix A.
The Sound Power Levels for the 2.5MW SMA Sunny Central 2500-EV inverter/transformer units are
detailed in SMA “White Paper BU-U-019: Sunny Central” Sound Power Measurements on SC 2200 (-
US), SC 2500-EV central inverters. The octave band frequency data are derived from a range of
publically available data for similar inverter systems. The assumed sound power level for each
2.5MW inverter/transformer unit is summarised in the table below;
Table: Assumed sound power spectrum for inverter/transformer units
Inverter/Transformer Rating
SWL (dB) for each Octave Band Centre Frequency Total SWL
(dB(A)) 63 Hz 125 Hz 250 Hz 500 Hz 1 kHz 2 kHz 4 kHz
2.5 MW 86 90 96 89 85 81 73 92
The above sound power level data has been used for indicative purposes to show that the proposal
can comply with the conservative project assessment criterion. Variations to the indicative layout
are unlikely to noticeably increase operational noise levels at the nearest residence, given that small
changes in distance relative to the distance to a dwelling will have a negligible influence on the
predicted noise levels. Notwithstanding, a final assessment will be required prior to the
commencement of construction to confirm compliance with the project criteria based on the final
inverter/transformer selection and locations.
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The predictions also include the noise from 127 air conditioning units serving each of the battery
storage buildings. The noise level has been predicted based on manufacturers’ total sound power
level data for the indicatively selected Mitsubishi Electric “PURY-P450YSLM-A (-BS)” units and the
octave band spectrum for similar units, as summarised below:
Table: Assumed sound power spectrum for air conditioner units
Air Conditioner
Cooling Capacity
SWL (dB) for each Octave Band Centre Frequency Total SWL
(dB(A)) 63 Hz 125 Hz 250 Hz 500 Hz 1 kHz 2 kHz 4 kHz
50 kW 59 71 75 77 76 75 74 86
The above sound power level data has been used for indicative purposes to show that the proposal
can comply with the project assessment criterion. As is usual at this stage of a project, the final
cooling equipment has not been the subject of detailed design nor has it been procured. A final
assessment will be required prior to the commencement of construction to confirm compliance with
the project criteria based on the final cooling system selection and locations.
The predictions have been conducted without a penalty for the presence of tonal characteristics. To
provide certainty with respect to tonality, it is recommended that a guarantee is sought from the
relevant manufacturers that the final inverter/transformer and cooling unit selections do not result
in a penalty when assessed in accordance with the NIRV.
ISO 9613-2:1996
Noise predictions were conducted using the propagation model, ISO 9613-2:1996 “Acoustics –
Attenuation of sound during propagation outdoors” (ISO 9613). This noise propagation model is
widely accepted as an appropriate model for the assessment of renewable energy facilities. The ISO
9613 model has the ability to take into account the distance between the source and receiver,
topography, hardness of the ground and atmospheric absorption at different frequencies.
The ISO-9613 model is based on “meteorological conditions favourable to propagation… These
conditions are for downwind propagation…..or, equivalently, propagation under a well developed
moderate ground based temperature inversion” (ISO-9613).
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The assessment has been based on the following inputs:
10°C temperature;
70% relative humidity;
100% acoustically soft ground; and,
1.5m receiver height.
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RESULTS
The predicted noise levels from the solar farm have been assessed against the conservative project
assessment criterion provided by the NIRV.
The following table compares the predicted noise level from the cumulative operation of the
inverter/transformer units and the cooling units against the assessment criterion for each residence:
Residence Assessment Criterion
dB(A) Predicted Noise Level
dB(A)
H38 36 27
H40 36 25
H61 36 32
H161 36 30
The predicted noise levels easily achieve the criterion of 36 dB(A) at all assessed locations, and as
such the proposed solar farm and battery storage facility will not adversely impact on the amenity of
residences. The noise predictions are shown graphically in Appendix C as a grid noise map.
CUMULATIVE NOISE IMPACTS
The NIRV does not apply to the operation of a wind farm facility and there is no requirement to
assess the cumulative noise level from wind turbines and other noise sources under the relevant
wind farm guidelines.
Notwithstanding the above, the cumulative noise level from both the wind farm (at the wind speed
corresponding to the highest noise level) and the solar farm and battery storage components is
provided below.
Wind Farm
The wind farm noise assessment has been separately conducted in Sonus Report S4453C25 dated
June 2016.
For indicative purposes, the wind farm noise criterion is provided and compared with the cumulative
noise levels of the wind farm and solar farm; however, it should be noted that the criterion applies
to the wind farm operation only.
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Wind Farm Assessment Criterion
dB(A)
Predicted Noise Level dB(A)
H38 40 35
H40 40 36
H61 40 39
H161 40 39
Based on the above, the solar farm does not prejudice the ability of the wind farm to achieve its
separate assessment criterion.
Substation
The substation noise assessment has been separately conducted in Sonus Report S4453C25 dated
June 2016 against the NIRV.
For indicative purposes, the substation noise criterion is provided and compared with the cumulative
noise levels of the substation and solar farm; however, it should be noted that the criterion applies
to the substation operation only.
The substation noise criterion is 36 dB(A). The highest noise level predicted at a residence from the
substation is 29 dB(A) at H161. A cumulative noise level of 33 dB(A) is predicted from the combined
operation of the substation and solar farm at H161.
Based on the above, the solar farm does not prejudice the ability of the substation to achieve its
separate assessment criterion.
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CONCLUSION
An environmental noise assessment of the proposed Murra Warra Solar Farm and Battery Storage
Facility has been undertaken.
The assessment considers the proposal comprising up to 90 representative SMA Sunny Central solar
inverter/transformer units and up to 127 representative Mitsubishi air conditioning units on each
battery storage building.
The proposal has been assessed at residences in accordance with the application requirements of
the Victorian Planning Provisions using conservative assessment criteria developed from the Noise
from Industry in Regional Victoria (NIRV) to ensure “appropriate siting and design considerations are
met” and “community amenity is not reduced by noise emissions”.
The currently proposed layout and selections are predicted to easily achieve the NIRV at all
residences within the vicinity with no specific acoustic treatment or mitigation measures.
Whilst the application requirements of the Victorian Planning Provisions do not require a cumulative
noise assessment of the solar, battery and wind farm proposals, the potential impacts have been
considered. It is predicted that the solar farm and battery storage facility will not prejudice the
ability of the wind farm and substation to achieve their respective requirements.
A final noise assessment will be conducted to confirm compliance with the project criteria when the
final inverter/transformer unit and battery storage air conditioning unit selections and locations are
known and guaranteed sound power levels are provided by the manufacturers at the procurement
stage.
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APPENDICES
Appendix A: Location of Operational Noise Sources
Inverter ID
Coordinates (UTM WGS84 54H)
Easting Northing
1 619733 5964106
2 619989 5964106
3 620246 5964106
4 619733 5964223
5 619989 5964223
6 620246 5964223
7 619733 5964340
8 619989 5964340
9 619166 5964457
10 619391 5964457
11 619733 5964457
12 619989 5964457
13 619166 5964574
14 619391 5964574
15 619818 5964574
16 619989 5964574
17 619166 5964691
18 619391 5964691
19 619647 5964691
20 620075 5964691
21 620246 5964691
22 619166 5964808
23 619391 5964808
24 619647 5964808
25 619989 5964808
26 620246 5964808
27 619166 5964925
28 619391 5964925
29 619647 5964925
30 619989 5964925
31 620246 5964925
32 619166 5965042
33 619391 5965042
34 619647 5965042
35 619989 5965042
36 620246 5965042
37 619166 5965159
38 619391 5965159
39 619647 5965159
40 619989 5965159
41 620246 5965159
42 619166 5965276
43 619391 5965276
44 619647 5965276
45 619989 5965276
Inverter ID
Coordinates (UTM WGS84 54H)
Easting Northing
46 620246 5965276
47 619166 5965393
48 619391 5965393
49 619647 5965393
50 619989 5965393
51 620246 5965393
52 619166 5965510
53 619391 5965510
54 619647 5965510
55 619989 5965510
56 620246 5965510
57 619166 5965627
58 619391 5965627
59 619647 5965627
60 619989 5965627
61 620246 5965627
62 619166 5965744
63 619391 5965744
64 619647 5965744
65 619989 5965744
66 620246 5965744
67 619391 5965861
68 619647 5965861
69 619989 5965861
70 620246 5965861
71 619391 5965978
72 619647 5965978
73 619989 5965978
74 620246 5965978
75 619391 5966095
76 619647 5966095
77 619989 5966095
78 620246 5966095
79 619391 5966212
80 619647 5966212
81 619989 5966212
82 620246 5966212
83 619562 5964457
84 619818 5966212
85 619647 5964574
86 619904 5964691
87 619818 5966095
88 619733 5963989
89 619989 5963989
90 620246 5963989
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Appendix B: Dwelling Locations within 2km of Solar Farm
Residence ID
Coordinates (UTM WGS84 54H)
Easting Northing
Associated Residences
H38 621382 5965014
H40 621613 5965564
H61 618770 5966114
H161 617959 5966346