• Specialty

  Noise / Vibration
  

• SECTOR

  Energy / Power
  Municipal
  

• TYPE

  Environmental Study
  Permitting / Compliance
  

• CLIENTELE

  Private Sector
  

• TIMESPAN

  2013

• LOCATION

  Onondaga, NY

Syracuse Wind Turbine

SERVICE:

Sound Study

DESCRIPTION:

Tech has extensive experience in performing acoustic studies on wind turbines all over New England. Tech is very familiar with the different regulations in each state when it comes to proper assessment of sound at property lines or residences. New York State, for example, recommends a limit of 6 dBA above the ambient L90 sound level, from a new industrial source. This particular project not only needed to comply with New York State regulations, buts also the regulations for Onondaga County, NY, which also state a limit of 6 dBA. Tech was asked to perform an acoustic study on the wind turbine that could properly assess the sound levels at the nearest residences. The first step in performing the study was to collect existing sound levels on the project site and sound levels at the nearest residential area. Using existing sound level measurements, Tech predicted the sound levels at the closest residence and whether the increase would be considered a nuisance. From the data gathered, Tech concluded that the increase in noise at the closest inhabited location would not exceed the 6 dBA limit, meaning the proposed turbine would fully comply with both the local bylaws and NYS DEC Noise Guidelines.

 

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Key Points

• Tech performed a long term acoustic study for a proposed wind turbine at Syracuse University. The State of NY DEC and the town bylaws limited the increase in noise heard at the closest residence to 6 dBA.
• Tech used conservative parameters to demonstrate the “worst case scenarios” to verify that the turbine would not be a nuisance because the sound levels heard at the closest inhabited properties were not greater than 6 dBA.