LOWER WONGA SOLAR FARM - Gympie Council · 2017-05-03 · 8796R01V01.docx 5 1. Introduction ASK...

LOWER WONGA SOLAR FARM Development Application for a Material Change of Use- Noise Impact Assessment || April 2017

ASK Consulting Engineers Pty Ltd

ABN: 55 622 586 522 ACN: 128 491 967 PO Box 3901 South Brisbane QLD 4101

P: 07 3255 3355 F: 07 3844 7180 www.askconsulting.com.au [email protected]

Lower Wonga Solar Farm

Lower Wonga, Queensland

Noise Impact Assessment

Report: 8796R01V01.docx

Prepared for:

Bordstrong Developments Pty Ltd

27 March, 2017

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Document Control

W:\8700\8796\ASK Out\8796R01V01.docx

Document Ref Date of Issue Status Author Reviewer

8796R01V01 27 March, 2017 Final SP SL

Document Approval

Author Signature

Approver Signature

Name Stephen Pugh Name Stephen Pugh

Title Director Title Director

Disclaimer: This document and associated tasks were undertaken in accordance with the ASK Consulting Engineers Quality Assurance System, which is based on Australian Standard / NZS ISO 9001:2008. This document is issued subject to review, and authorisation by a Senior Consultant noted in the above table. If the table is incomplete, this document shall be considered as preliminary or draft only and no reliance shall be placed upon it other than for information to be verified later.

This document is prepared for our Client's particular requirements which are based on a specific brief with limitations as agreed to with the Client. It is not intended for and should not be relied upon by a third party and no responsibility is undertaken to any third party without prior consent provided by ASK Consulting Engineers. The information herein should not be reproduced, presented or reviewed except in full. Prior to passing on to a third party, the Client is to fully inform the third party of the specific brief and limitations associated with the commission.

The information contained herein is for the identified purpose of acoustics only. No claims are made and no liability is accepted in respect of design and construction issues falling outside of the specialist field of acoustics engineering including and not limited to structural integrity, fire rating, architectural buildability and fit‐for‐purpose, waterproofing, safety design and the like. Supplementary professional advice should be sought in respect of these issues.

Copyright: This report and the copyright thereof are the property of ASK Consulting Engineers Pty Ltd (ABN 55 622 586 522). It must not be copied in whole or in part without the written permission of ASK Consulting Engineers Pty Ltd. This report has been produced specifically for the Client and project nominated herein and must not be used or retained for any other purpose. www.askconsulting.com.au

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Contents

1. Introduction 5

2. Study Area Description 6

3. Proposed Development 9

4. Acoustic Criteria 11

4.1 Gympie Regional Council 11

4.2 Environmental Protection Act 11

4.3 Environmental Protection (Noise) Policy 11

4.3.1 Overview 11

4.3.2 Background Creep 11

4.3.3 Acoustic Quality Objectives 11

4.4 EcoAccess Guidelines 12

4.4.1 EcoAccess – Planning for Noise Control 12

4.4.2 Control and Prevention of Background Creep 12

4.4.3 Sleep Disturbance Criteria 12

4.4.4 EcoAccess – Assessment of Low Frequency Noise 13

5. Acoustic Measurements 15

5.1 Overview 15

5.2 Attended Noise Measurements 16

5.3 Noise Logging 17

6. Construction Noise Assessment 19

6.1 Overview 19

6.2 General Recommendations 19

7. Operational Noise Assessment 21

7.1 Noise Limits 21

7.2 Inverter and Transformer Noise 21

7.2.1 Overview 21

7.2.2 Source Noise Data 21

7.2.3 Modelling and Results 22

7.2.4 Noise Assessment and Mitigation 24

7.3 Substation Noise 25

7.4 Other Noises 26

8. Recommendations & Conclusion 27

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Appendices

Appendix A Glossary 28

Appendix B Project Drawings 29

Appendix C Noise Logging Results 30

Appendix D Noise Level Contours 35

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1. Introduction

ASK Consulting Engineers Pty Ltd (ASK) was commissioned by Bordstrong Developments Pty Ltd to provide acoustic consultancy services for the proposed Lower Wonga solar farm being constructed adjacent the Woolooga substation, located near the intersection of the Wide Bay Highway and Gympie Woolooga Road.

This acoustic report is to accompany a Development Application for consideration by Department of Environment and Heritage Protection. The application is made over land in the Lower Wonga area bounded by the Wide Bay Highway, Gympie‐Woolooga Road and Phillip Road. The area encompasses the following lots / Plans.

Lot 235 on LX2129

Lots 236, 237, 243, 244 on LX496

Lots 1, 2, 3 on RP183439

The proposed development includes the construction and operation of a 350 Megawatt (MW) photovoltaic (PV) solar plant. The land area of 574 ha, will have up to 240 ha of PV panel coverage. The site in operational mode will accommodate buildings, access roadways, parking area and lay downs and vegetative screening between the site and the public roads. The total operational land coverage will be up to 300ha.

The purpose of this report is as follows:

Outline the relevant project noise criteria.

Present the results of noise monitoring.

Predict and assess the noise emissions from the development.

Describe noise mitigation requirements.

To aid in the understanding of the terms in this report a glossary is included in Appendix A.

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2. Study Area Description

The proposed development is to be located at the corner of the Wide Bay Highway and Gympie‐Woolooga Road. The site is approximately 23 kilometres north‐west of Gympie and 7 kilometres south‐east of Woolooga. The site location, inclusive of the existing substation, is shown in Figure 2.1 and Figure 2.2 (source: State of Queensland Aerial Photography).

Figure 2.1 Site Location

3km

Subject Site

Town of Woolooga

Woolooga Substation

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The site adjoins the Woolooga Substation as well as cleared grazing land and rural residences.

The proposed development is surrounded by rural residential premises to the north, south, east and west.

The nearest potentially affected sensitive receivers are identified in Figure 2.2 with locations provided in Table 2.1 (Source: Client).

Figure 2.2 Site Location and Nearest Sensitive Receivers (Houses 1 to 23)

1km

Subject Site

Woolooga Substation

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Table 2.1 Nearest Sensitive Receiver Locations

Receptor (House ID)

Address and/or Lot Number

Coordinates (Universal Transverse Mercator, 56J)

Easting Northing

House 1 Gympie‐Woolooga Road 443177.93 m E 7114090.98 m S


House 3 Phillip Road 444267.69 m E 7111970.92 m S

House 4 Wide Bay Highway 446865.81 m E 7114282.16 m S



House 7 Hayes Road 446829.24 m E 7114887.36 m S



House 10 Via Wide Bay Highway 443312.29 m E 7116225.30 m S

House 11 Via Wide Bay Highway 444420.64 m E 7115985.45 m S











House 22 Tones Road 441031.33 m E 7111740.99 m S


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3. Proposed Development

The proposed development includes the construction and operation of a 350 Megawatt (MW) photovoltaic (PV) solar plant, including:

Arrays of solar modules and cabling.

Inverter transformers.

Internal maintenance roads and tracks.

Underground and overhead high voltage conductors.

High voltage substation.

Site based energy storage location and lay down area.

Operations and administration building.

Maintenance and storage building.

Road access.

The project drawings are included in Appendix B. An overview of the site layout is included in Figure 3.1. In Figure 3.1 the solar arrays are shown as blue areas, and the substation and transmission line corridors are shown as pink areas.

Figure 3.1 Proposed Site Layout

Potential noise impacts associated with the development include:

Noise and vibration associated with the construction phase of the project. This includes noise from construction equipment operating on site.

Woolooga Substation

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Operational noise associated with normal running of the solar plant. This includes noise from the electrical systems (e.g. substation, inverters) and any maintenance work undertaken on site.

These potential impacts are required to be considered in the project design.

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4. Acoustic Criteria

4.1 Gympie Regional Council

The site is located within the Gympie Regional Council area and therefore is required to comply with the requirements of the Gympie Regional Council Planning Scheme. The policy does not specify noise limits but references the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection (EHP) – Environmental Protection Policy (Noise) and Environmental Protection Act to achieve nuisance code outcomes.

4.2 Environmental Protection Act

In Queensland, the environment is protected under the Environmental Protection Act 1994. The object of the Act is to protect Queensland’s environment while allowing for development that improves the total quality of life, both now and in the future, in a way that maintains the ecological processes on which life depends (ecologically sustainable development).

4.3 Environmental Protection (Noise) Policy

4.3.1 Overview

In respect of the acoustic environment, the object of the Act is achieved by the Environmental Protection (Noise) Policy 2008 (EPP (Noise)). This policy identifies environmental values to be enhanced or protected, states acoustic quality objectives, and provides a framework for making decisions about the acoustic environment.

4.3.2 Background Creep

The EPP(Noise) contains noise criteria for controlling background creep, which are to be applied “for an activity involving noise”. The criteria are as follows:

To the extent that it is reasonable to do so, noise from an activity must not be—

(a) for noise that is continuous noise measured by LA90,T—more than nil dBA greater than the existing acoustic environment measured by LA90,T; or

(b) for noise that varies over time measured by LAeq,adj,T—more than 5dBA greater than the existing acoustic environment measured by LA90,T.

The EPP(Noise) does not define “continuous noise”, but by definition, the “continuous noise” would be required to occur for at least 90% of a measurement period (typically 15 minutes or 60 minutes). Thus this criterion could apply for equipment such as mechanical plant.

The criterion for “noise that varies over time” is appropriate for noise sources operating for less than 90% of a measurement period, and could apply to intermittent events (e.g. vehicles) or mechanical plant that does not run continuously (e.g. air‐conditioning).

4.3.3 Acoustic Quality Objectives

The EPP (Noise) contains a range of acoustic quality objectives for a range of receptors. The objectives are in the form of noise levels, and are defined for various periods of the day, and use a number of acoustic parameters.

Schedule 1 of the EPP(Noise) includes the following acoustic quality objectives to be met at residential dwellings:

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Outdoors

○ Daytime and Evening: 50 dBA LAeq,adj,1hr, 55 dBA LA10,adj,1hr and 65 dBA LA1,adj,1hr

Indoors

○ Daytime and Evening: 35 dBA LAeq,adj,1hr, 40 dBA LA10,adj,1hr and 45 dBA LA1,adj,1hr

○ Night: 30 dBA LAeq,adj,1hr, 35 dBA LA10,adj,1hr and 40 dBA LA1,adj,1hr

In the DEHP EcoAccess Guideline “Planning For Noise Control” documentation it is proposed that the noise reduction provided by a typical residential building façade is 7 dBA assuming open windows. That is, with an external noise source, a 7 dBA reduction in noise levels from outside a house to inside a house is expected when windows are fully open. Thus the indoor noise objectives noted above could be converted to the following external objectives (with windows open):

Daytime and Evening: 42 dBA LAeq,adj,1hr, 47 dBA LA10,adj,1hr and 52 dBA LA1,adj,1hr

Night: 37 dBA LAeq,adj,1hr, 42 dBA LA10,adj,1hr and 47 dBA LA1,adj,1hr

A sensitive receptor is defined as “an area or place where noise is measured”.

The EPP(Noise) states that the objectives are intended to be progressively achieved over the long term. However, as this project involves the introduction of new noise sources it would seem reasonable that the acoustic quality objectives are achieved upon commencement of operation of the project, and this may be the intent of the policy. Therefore, consideration to achieving these acoustic quality objectives will be included in the design noise limits for the project.

The acoustic quality objectives do not take into consideration the existing noise environment and therefore may not be applicable for areas that are particularly quiet or particularly noisy (e.g. near a road). Therefore, it is considered that the objectives should not be used as the sole noise limits for a development, and reference should also be made to noise limits which are determined with consideration for the existing noise environment.

4.4 EcoAccess Guidelines

DEHP has a number of EcoAccess guidelines relevant to the assessment of noise and vibration. These are summarised as follows.

4.4.1 EcoAccess – Planning for Noise Control

DEHP EcoAccess Guideline “Planning For Noise Control” contains procedures and methods that are applicable for setting conditions relating to noise emitted from industrial premises for planning purposes. The guideline is applicable to noise from all sources, individually and in combination, which contribute to the total noise from a site.

4.4.2 Control and Prevention of Background Creep

The procedure takes into account three factors: firstly, the control and prevention of background noise creep in the case of a steady noise level from equipment such as caused by ventilation fans and other continuously operating machinery; secondly, the containment of variable noise levels and short‐term noise events such as those caused by forklifts and isolated hand tools to an acceptable level above the background noise level; thirdly, the setting of noise limits that should not be exceeded to avoid sleep disturbance.

4.4.3 Sleep Disturbance Criteria

The World Health Organization (WHO) issued its “Guidelines for Community Noise” in April 1999. The WHO guideline states the following in regard to sleep disturbance from continuous noise from activities such as mining operations:

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“Where noise is continuous, the equivalent sound pressure level should not exceed 30 dBA indoors, if negative effects on sleep are to be avoided. When noise is composed of a large proportion of low‐frequency sounds a still lower guideline value is recommended, because low‐frequency noise (eg from a ventilation system) can disturb rest and sleep even at low sound pressure levels.”

The EcoAccess Guideline “Planning for Noise Control”, in referring to the World Health Organisation guidelines, makes the following general recommendation regarding short term transient noise events:

“As a rule in planning for short‐term or transient noise events, for good sleep over eight hours, the indoor sound pressure level measured as a maximum instantaneous value should not exceed approximately 45 dBA maxLpA more than 10 to 15 times per night.”

For less regular night events, the allowable internal noise level is higher, as follows:

Approximately 3 events per night: 50 dBA Lmax.

Approximately 1 event per night: 65 dBA Lmax.

Note: For the purpose of this assessment the maxLpA level is defined using the Lmax descriptor.

The WHO guideline states the following in regard to annoyance response to community noise:

“Annoyance to community noise varies with the type of activity producing the noise. During the daytime few people are seriously annoyed by activities with LAeq levels below 55 dBA; or moderately annoyed by LAeq levels below 50 dBA. Sound pressure levels during the evening and night should be 5 – 10 dBA lower than during the day. Noise with low frequency components requires even lower levels.”

DEHP propose that the noise reduction provided by a typical residential building façade is 7 dBA assuming open windows. Thus the indoor noise objectives noted above could be considered external objectives (with windows open) with the appropriate correction.

The criteria are summarised in Table 4.1 Summary of WHO Sleep Disturbance and Annoyance Criteria.

Table 4.1 Summary of WHO Sleep Disturbance and Annoyance Criteria

Descriptor Number of Noise Events

Indoor Criterion dBA

Outdoor Criterion dBA

Sleep Disturbance

(Short Duration Events)

10 – 15 Lmax 45 Lmax 52

3 Lmax 50 Lmax 57

1 Lmax 55 Lmax 62

Sleep Disturbance (Continuous Noise) Continuous Leq 30 Leq 37

Annoyance (Night Time) Continuous Leq 35 Leq 42

Note: The outdoor criteria are based on a DEHP EcoAccess nominated outdoor‐to‐indoor noise reduction of 7 dBA for open windows.

4.4.4 EcoAccess – Assessment of Low Frequency Noise

DEHP EcoAccess Guideline “Assessment of Low Frequency Noise” contains methods and procedures that are applicable to low frequency noise emitted from industrial premises and mining operations for planning purposes. Items such as boilers, pumps, transformers, cooling fans, compressors, oil and gas burners, foundries, wind farms, electrical installations, diesel engines, ventilation and air‐conditioning equipment, wind turbulence and large chimney resonance may comprise sources of high level noise having frequency content less than 200 Hz.

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These sources may exhibit a spectrum that characteristically shows a general increase in sound pressure level with decrease in frequency. Annoyance due to low frequency noise can be high even though the dBA level measured is relatively low. Typically, annoyance is experienced in the otherwise quiet environments of residences, offices and factories adjacent to or near low frequency noise sources. Generally, low level/low frequency noises become annoying when the masking effect of higher frequencies is absent. This loss of high frequency components may occur as a result of transmission through the fabric of a building, or in propagation over long distances.

Where a noise immission occurs exhibiting an unbalanced frequency spectrum, the overall sound pressure level inside residences should not exceed 50 dBZ to avoid complaints of low frequency noise annoyance. A spectrum is considered unbalanced when the un‐weighted overall noise level is more than 15 dB higher than the A‐weighted overall noise level.

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5. Acoustic Measurements

5.1 Overview

Acoustic measurements consisted of noise logging (Sites A, B and C) and attended noise measurements (Sites A to E). The noise measurement locations are shown in Figure 5.1 and are described as follows:

Location A: Front yard of House 8

Location B : Driveway of House 1

Location C: Driveway of House 3

Location D: Adjacent the Wide Bay Highway directly under overhead powerlines.

Located E: Front gate of the Woolooga substation entrance.

Figure 5.1 Site area and monitoring locations

500 m

A

B

C

D

E

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The noise monitoring was undertaken in general accordance with Australian Standard AS1055 Acoustics – Description and measurement of environmental noise and the EHP Noise Measurement Manual.

5.2 Attended Noise Measurements

Attended noise measurements were undertaken at Locations A to E as shown on Figure 5.1.

The measurements were undertaken on 01/02/2017 between 2:00pm and 12:00am (midnight). Measurements were taken over 5 and 15 minute periods using a field and laboratory calibrated Rion NA27 Type 1 sound level meter. The microphone height was approximately 1.3m above natural ground level and was located in the free field. Weather during the time of monitoring was fine, 20% cloud cover, with a breeze from the west at approximately 1 to 3 m/s.

The measured noise levels are summarised in Table 5.1.

Table 5.1 Attended Noise Measurement Results

Location Date & Time

Period (Minutes)

Results & Notes

A 2:11pm 01/02/17

15 Statistical noise levels: L10 48 dBA, Leq 48 dBA, L90 32 dBA

Noise from loud insects 60 dBA (3.15 to 5 kHz)

Noise from insects 35 to 37 dBA (3.15 to 5 kHz)

Passing car on Highway 39, 36 dBA

Passing car on Hayes Road 57, 54 dBA

Wind rustling trees 36 dBA

B 2:57pm 01/02/17


Noise from insects dominant 40 dBA

Passing car on Gympie‐Woolooga Road 43 to 53 dBA

Passing truck on Gympie‐Woolooga Road 50 dBA

C 3:30pm 01/02/17


Distant hum from Highway 26 dBA

Light wind in trees 31 dBA

Strong wind in trees 47 to 50 dBA

Crows 45, 44 dBA

Birds 30, 33, 36, 50 (cockatoo)

Calm conditions, distant birds 23 to 24 dBA

C 10:01pm 01/02/17


Noise from insects dominant 30 to 35 dBA (3.15 to 5 kHz)

Noise from loud insects 41, 46 dBA

B 10:30pm 01/02/17


Noise from loud insects 45,44,45 dBA (3.15 to 5 kHz)


Distant cow noises 41, 42

Passing car on Gympie‐Woolooga Road 57, 55 dBA

Audible hum from substation. No loud but can hear when all is quiet.

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Location Date & Time

Period (Minutes)

Results & Notes

D 10:54pm 01/02/17



Distant cars

E 11:08pm 01/02/17



Noticeable hum from substation 17 to 20 dBA (100Hz)

A 11:20pm 01/02/17



Passing car on Wide Bay Highway 44 dBA

Operator moving in grass 45 to 50 dBA

Note: * The reported noise levels, excluding the statistical noise levels, are the instantaneous levels read from the sound level meter, and generally represent the range in noise levels or maximum noise levels for a particular noise source.

5.3 Noise Logging

Noise logging was undertaken at Locations A, B and C as shown on Figure 5.1. Logging was undertaken from 01/02/2017 to 08/02/2017 using field and laboratory calibrated Larson Davis LD831 Type 1 environmental noise loggers. Noise logging was undertaken in the free field.

Data from the Bureau of Meteorology (Gympie) indicates that weather during the monitoring period was generally fine and warm, but with light rainfall on Saturday 4th (0.2mm). Overall, the noise monitoring data is considered acceptable for use in this report.

The measured noise levels are graphed in Appendix C. From the noise logging the statistical results have been summarised and are presented in Appendix C.

The background noise levels at each location have been calculated using the lowest 10th percentile method and are shown in Table 5.2. Background noise levels have been calculated for the required day (7am to 6pm), evening (6pm to 10pm) and night (10pm to 7am) periods, and also an extended day period (6am to 7pm) which is considered to better account for the likely solar production time.

It was apparent from the monitoring audio samples and the frequency analysis of the data that the noise environment was dominated by insects in the night and evening periods, and was also impacted in the daytime by insects and birds. Therefore, the background noise levels have been recalculated with the insect and bird noise removed from the data by filtering specific frequency bands. The resulting filtered background noise levels are shown in Table 5.2.

It is noted that in some instances it is difficult to ascertain the background noise level in the absence of insect and birds due to their noises affecting multiple frequency (octave) bands. Removing the noise contribution from the affected octave bands in their entirety can over‐estimate the contribution of the birds and insects. Therefore, a range of background noise levels has been reported where insect and bird noise affects multiple octave bands.

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Table 5.2 Background Noise Levels

Period Background Noise Level L90 dBA Background Noise Level L90 dBA

(With Insect & Bird Noise Filtered Out)

Location A (North)

Location B (West)

Location C (South)

Location A (North)

Location B (West)

Location C (South)

Day (7am to 6pm) 36 37 32 34 27‐30* 26‐28*

Evening (6pm to 10pm) 28 32 34 23 23 21

Night (10pm to 7am) 29 26 33 19 19 19

Extended Day (6am to 7pm) ‐ ‐ ‐ 33 25‐28* 26‐28*

Note: * It is difficult to ascertain the background noise level in the absence of insect and bird noise due to the influence over multiple octave bands. Therefore, a range of background noise levels is proposed.

From the results in Table 5.2, it can be seen that the background noise levels at the site are low, as is expected of rural areas. The daytime background noise level at Location A is higher than Locations B and C, and this is considered to be due to the noise associated with road traffic on the Highway.

Whilst the background noise levels were as low as 19 dBA L90 at night, the minimum background noise level under state policy is generally taken as 25 dBA L90.

Based on the above results, it is proposed that background noise levels are used as follows in Table 5.3.

Table 5.3 Proposed Project Background Noise Levels

Period Background Noise Level L90 dBA

Residences Near Highway

(refer note 1)

Residences distant from Highway

(refer note 2)

Day (7am to 6pm) 34 28

Evening (6pm to 10pm) 25* 25*

Night (10pm to 7am) 25* 25*

Extended Day (6am to 7pm) 33 27

Notes: * Minimum background noise level of 25 dBA L90 applies.

1 Residences near highway (refer Figure 2.2) include houses 4, 5, 8, 13, 18 & 19.

2 Residences distant from highway (refer Figure 2.2) include 1‐3, 6, 7, 9‐12, 14‐17, & 20‐23.

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6. Construction Noise Assessment

6.1 Overview

The construction of a solar farm involves road construction, civil works, excavation, foundation construction and electrical infrastructure works. These works will generate noise from the use of on‐site machinery, vehicle movements and other construction related activities.

There are no specific construction noise criteria in the Environmental Protection Act 1994 or other state legislation. The Environmental Protection Act 1994 notes that noise limits are not applied to building work between 6:30am and 6:30pm on a business day (typically Monday to Friday) or Saturday. Outside these times, the Act notes that building work must be inaudible.

The relaxation of noise limits during daytime construction is generally considered appropriate. The reasons for the relaxation of limits include (i) construction activities are not a long‐term noise source, and (ii) operational noise can typically be more readily controlled as they are fixed, often within enclosures or buildings, whereas construction activities are often external sources and mobile.

Although noise limits may be relaxed for construction activities during the daytime, it is required that noise emissions are minimised where practicable, especially where construction will occur for long periods.

6.2 General Recommendations

Noise and vibration from typical expected construction activities have been assessed. Generally noise and vibration from construction are to be managed through hours of operation and, where practical, use of appropriate buffer distances.

The noise and vibration management plan should make reference to Australian Standard AS2436‐2010 “Guide to noise and vibration control on construction, demolition and maintenance sites”. This standard provides details on strategies to minimise construction noise, such as the following:

Plant and Equipment Strategies:

Employing quieter techniques for all high noise activities such as rockbreaking, concrete sawing, power and pneumatic tools.

Choosing quieter plant and equipment based on the optimal power and size to most efficiently perform the required tasks.

Operating plant and equipment in the quietest and most efficient manner.

Where possible modify equipment to reduce noise levels, however only after consultation with the manufacturer. For example, providing mufflers to existing equipment.

Regularly inspecting and maintaining plant and equipment to minimise noise and vibration level increases to ensure that all noise and vibration reduction devices are operating effectively. Maintenance should be carried out by trained persons.

Excessive noise caused by resonance of body panels and cover plates can be reduced by stiffening with additional ribs or by increasing the damping with a surface coating of resonance‐damping material. Rattling noises can be controlled by tightening loose parts and fixing resilient material between the surfaces in contact.

For stationary plant where limited access is required, the noise source should be enclosed.

Plant that is used intermittently, e.g. cranes, dozers, graders, back hoes, bobcats and loaders, should be shut down in the intervening periods between work or throttled down to a minimum.

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In demolition work alongside occupied premises there should, if possible, be a break in solid connections, e.g. concrete paving, between the working areas and the adjoining buildings. This will reduce the transmission of vibration and structure‐borne noise. Care should be taken that any such break is of no structural significance in relation to the planned system of demolition. The break should result in premature collapse due to lack of continuity of restraint.

Vibration from machinery with rotating parts can be reduced by attention to proper balancing. Frictional noise from the cutting action of tools and saws may be reduced if the tools are kept sharp. Other noises caused by frictional in machines, conveyor rollers and trolleys can be reduced by proper lubrication.

On‐site Noise Mitigation Strategies:

Maximising the distance between noise activities and noise sensitive land uses.

Undertaking noise fabrication work off site where possible.

Adopting alternatives to reversing alarms.

Using temporary site building and material stockpiles as noise barriers. These can often be created using site earthworks and may be included as a part of final landscape design.

Installing purpose built noise barriers, acoustic sheds and enclosures.

General Strategies:

Regular reinforcement (such as toolbox talks) of the need to minimize noise and vibration.

Regular identification of noisy activities and adoption of improvement techniques.

When dropping materials into for example trucks, the surfaces on to which the materials are being moved could be covered by some resilient material. Particular care should be taken during the loading and unloading of scaffolding. Where material cannot be lowered into skips or by other means, it is recommended that properly constructed and damped chutes be considered.

Avoiding the use of portable radios, public address systems or other methods of site communication that may unnecessarily impact upon nearby residents.

Developing routes for the delivery of materials and parking of vehicles to minimise noise.

Where possible avoiding the use of equipment which generates impulsive noise.

Minimising the need for vehicle reversing for example by arranging for one way site traffic routes.

Minimise the movement of materials, equipment and unnecessary metal‐on‐metal contact.

Minimising truck movements.

Scheduling respite periods.

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7. Operational Noise Assessment

During operation of the solar farm the most likely sources of noise will be from the inverters and electrical substation, and occasional maintenance activities.

7.1 Noise Limits

A number of noise criteria were presented in Section 4.3, including background creep, acoustic quality objectives and EcoAccess sleep disturbance criteria.

It is assumed that this solar plant (inverters and substation) will only operate between 6am and 7pm, and thus the background creep and acoustic quality objectives are considered relevant.

The noise from the solar plant (inverters and substation) is likely to be continuous, and thus the background creep limit of L90 + 0 dBA (refer Section 4.3.2) is applicable. That is, the noise limit is equal to the existing background noise level, and is therefore as follows during the extended day time (refer Table 5.2):

For residences near the highway: 33 dBA (including houses 4, 5, 8, 13, 18 & 19)

For residences distant from highway: 27 dBA (including houses 1‐3, 6, 7, 9‐12, 14‐17, & 20‐23)

Compliance with these background creep limits will result in compliance with the acoustic quality objectives in Section 4.3.3 and sleep disturbance criteria in Section 4.4.3.

The EHP EcoAccess guidelines also include a low frequency noise limit to be achieved inside residences (refer Section 4.4.4). The internal limit is 50 dBZ and an un‐weighted (dBZ) level more than 15 dB higher than the A‐weighted (dBA) noise level. On some projects an additional low frequency limit is included, being an external limit of 60 dBC and a C‐weighted (dBC) level more than 20 dB higher than the A‐weighted (dBA) noise level.

7.2 Inverter and Transformer Noise

7.2.1 Overview

Photovoltaic panels produce energy at a Direct Current (DC) voltage and require the conversion to Alternating Current (AC) to allow connection to the transmission grid. The panel blocks will be connected to inverters for conversion to AC. The latest power station design utilises 2.5MW inverters in a double (5.0MW) back‐to‐back arrangement connected to transformer. The arrangement results in a 5.0MW Medium Voltage Power Station (SMA MVPS5000). The project will require a total of 73 MVPS5000 units.

7.2.2 Source Noise Data

The sound power level data for a single inverter (2.5MW, SMA SC2500‐EV) has been provided as 92 dBA Lw. The spectrum is included in Figure 7.1.

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Figure 7.1 Inverter (SMA SC2500‐EV) Sound Power Level

From Figure 7.1 it can be seen that the inverter is tonal in the 3.15 kHz one‐third octave band.

Sound power level data for the 5.0MW systems (MVPS5000) is not available, but noise data was provided at distances of 1 metre from each side of the MVPS enclosure. This data has been used with standard shipping container size information to arrive at a MVPS5000 sound power level of 99 dBA Lw. It is noted that this sound power level (99 dBA) is more than twice the sound power level of an individual 2.5MW inverter (92 dBA x 2 = 95 dBA). The sound spectrum of the MVPS5000 is assumed to be the same shape as the 2.5MW inverter, and remains tonal in the 3.15 kHZ one‐third octave band.

7.2.3 Modelling and Results

The proposed operational scenario has been modelled using the SoundPLAN v7.4 computer package and the following inputs:

SoundPLAN ISO 9613.2 algorithms.

Sound power level data of 99 dBA for each of 73 x MVPS5000 units. Locations for units as per drawing ‘Inverter Overlay (Indicative) – 27 Feb 2017.pdf’.

Terrain information provided as LIDAR for site and combined with topographical data for the surrounding area from Geosciences Australia 1 second SRTM.

SoundPLAN ground absorption factor of 0.5 (i.e. 50% absorption).

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The results are presented in Table 7.1 below and shown graphically in Figure D.1 in Appendix D.

A tonality adjustment has been determined at each location by reviewing the predicted one‐third octave band levels at 3.15kHz and the adjoining bands. Where the noise level in the 3.15 kHz band exceeded the neighbouring bands by 5 dB or more, a 5 dB tonality penalty is applied. Where the exceedance of neighbouring bands is 1 dB to 4 dB, a 2 dB tonality penalty is applied. The resulting limits are included in Table 7.1.

Table 7.1 Predicted External Noise Levels at Nearest Residences due to MVPS Units

Residence Noise Level Leq dBA

Tonality Adjustment

Adjusted Noise Level Leq,adj,T dBA

Limit (Extended Daytime 6am to 7pm) Leq,adj,T dBA

Exceedance dB

House 1 30 2 32 27 5

House 2 35 5 40 27 13

House 3 37 5 42 27 15

House 4 29 2 31 33 0

House 5 32 2 34 33 1

House 6 33 2 35 27 8

House 7 27 2 29 27 2

House 8 30 2 32 33 0

House 9 30 2 32 27 5

House 10 21 0 21 27 0

House 11 24 0 24 27 0

House 12 25 0 25 27 0

House 13 30 2 32 33 0

House 14 24 0 24 27 0

House 15 23 0 23 27 0

House 16 21 0 21 27 0

House 17 21 0 21 27 0

House 18 19 0 19 33 0

House 19 23 0 23 33 0

House 20 32 2 34 27 7

House 21 22 0 22 27 0

House 22 17 0 17 27 0

House 23 28 2 30 27 3

From Table 7.1 it can be seen that the predicted noise level exceedance is up to 15 dB at House 3. Lesser exceedances are also predicted at Houses 1, 2, 5‐7, 9, 20 & 23.

The predicted low frequency noise levels are included in Table 7.2.

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Table 7.2 Predicted External Low Frequency Noise Levels at Nearest Residences due to MVPS Units

Residence C‐weighted Noise Level dBC Z‐Weighted External Noise Level dBZ

Overall Leq dBC dBC ‐ dBA Overall Leq dBZ dBZ ‐ dBA

House 1 43 13 45 15

House 2 45 10 47 12

House 3 46 9 48 11

House 4 42 13 44 15

House 5 43 12 46 14

House 6 45 12 47 14

House 7 40 14 43 16

House 8 43 12 45 14

House 9 42 12 44 14

House 10 36 15 38 18

House 11 38 14 40 17

House 12 39 14 42 17

House 13 42 13 44 15

House 14 38 14 41 16

House 15 38 15 40 17

House 16 36 15 38 18

House 17 36 15 39 17

House 18 35 16 37 18

House 19 38 14 40 17

House 20 44 12 46 14

House 21 37 15 39 17

House 22 33 16 36 19

House 23 41 13 43 15

MAX 46 16 48 19

From Table 7.2 it can be seen that the external C‐weighted noise levels will comply with the external limit of 60 dBC based on a maximum external level of 46 dBC. The internal (indoor) noise levels would be expected to be lower than the predicted external noise levels. Therefore the internal limit of 50 dBZ will be readily achieved based on a maximum external level of 48 dBZ.

Therefore no low frequency noise reduction measures are required.

7.2.4 Noise Assessment and Mitigation

The noise modelling results indicate the following noise level exceedances:

House 1: 5 dB exceedance


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There are a number of mitigation strategies that could be considered in the project, including:

Implementing noise controls at the source by requiring a maximum equipment sound power level as part of the procurement of the inverter/transformers. In this instance reducing the sound power level from the modelled level of 99 dBA down to 84 dBA Lw,eq,T (assuming tonality penalty of 5 dB) or 89 dBA Lw,eq,adj,T (if free of tonal characteristics) would result in compliance.

Design of noise barriers around the inverter/transformers – Barriers may be able to achieve reductions of 5 to 15 dBA depending on the height, extent and construction.

Orientating the inverter/transformers to minimise noise emissions to nearest residences – Improved noise directivity data could be used to optimise equipment orientation and reduce noise emissions. The reductions may only be small, but never‐the‐less cost‐effective.

Relocating inverter/transformers further from residences towards the centre of the site – It is understood this would have cost impacts with respect to cable lengths and associated potential power losses, but may prove cost‐effective in some locations.

Purchase of properties most affected by the project noise. For example, purchase of properties with Houses 2 and 3, would reduce the maximum exceedance from 15 dB down to 8 dB.

It may be appropriate and more cost‐effective to implement more significant noise mitigation strategies to inverter/transformers located nearer to residences, and reduced mitigation to inverter/transformers located further from residences.

It is noted that the noise levels are based on the supplied noise data and estimated tonality adjustments. It may be desirable to target increased noise reductions so as to minimise the risk of noise exceedances due to uncertainty inherent within the data and modelling process.

7.3 Substation Noise

The project will require the addition of a substation, which is proposed to adjoin the existing substation in 1 of 2 locations as per Figure 7.2.

The proposed substation is located approximately 450 metres from the nearest sensitive receiver, House 13 to the north.

The substation will transform from the project 33 kV to either 33 kV, 132 kV or 275 kV and is subject to further assessment.

It is assumed that this plant will only operate between 6am and 7pm, and thus the ‘extended day time’ limits would apply.

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Figure 7.2 Potential Substation Locations

From Section 7.1, the predicted MVPS (inverter) noise level at House 13 is 32 dBA (from Table 7.1). The proposed noise limit is 33 dBA. Therefore the allowable noise contribution at this residence from the substation is 22 dBA at House 13.

Thus the allowable sound power level of the proposed substation is 83 dBA Lw,eq,T (assuming tonality penalty of 5 dB) or 88 dBA Lw,eq,adj,T (if free of tonal characteristics).

This sound power limit should be included in the procurement specification, and additional modelling undertaken to verify its resulting noise contribution.

It is noted that if noise mitigation is applied to the solar inverter/transformers, this would permit an increased noise contribution from the substation.

7.4 Other Noises

There will also be other occasional onsite noises including vehicles, maintenance shed and activities and air‐conditioning units associated with the operations and administration building. Onsite equipment could include industrial mowers, tractor slashers, small to medium trucks and tippers, crane, forklift, fire tender and solar panel cleaners.

It is considered that many of these items of equipment and activities are typical of those found in rural areas, and would be unlikely to cause nuisance if they occur occasionally, and during daytime hours. Additionally it is required that the maintenance shed and activities are located as far from nearby residences as practicable, and the building is orientated to minimise noise emissions to nearby residences.

It is understood that emergency activities may need to occur at night, and this may be common with the requirements of the adjoining existing substation, and thus may already be typical of the area. Never‐the‐less it is required that night‐time activities be reasonable restricted such that noise limits in Table 5.2 are achieved except in the occasion of an emergency.

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8. Recommendations & Conclusion

The proposed Lower Wonga Solar Farm has been assessed with respect to noise impacts from the facility onto nearby residences. The following noise conclusions and recommendations apply to the project:

The relevant criteria for operational noise is considered to be the background creep criterion for continuous noise in the EPP(Noise), which is as follows:

To the extent that it is reasonable to do so, noise from an activity must not be—

– for noise that is continuous noise measured by LA90,T—more than nil dBA greater than the existing acoustic environment measured by LA90,T; or

Baseline noise monitoring has indicated that background noise levels are as follows (Refer Table 5.3):

Period Background Noise Level L90 dBA

Residences Near Highway Residences distant from Highway

Day (7am to 6pm) 34 28

Evening (6pm to 10pm) 25* 25*

Night (10pm to 7am) 25* 25*

Extended Day (6am to 7pm) 33 27

Construction noise and vibration associated with the development has been considered in Section 6. There are no specific construction noise criteria in the Environmental Protection Act 1994 or other state legislation. The Environmental Protection Act 1994 notes that noise limits are not applied to building work between 6:30am and 6:30pm on a business day (typically Monday to Friday) or Saturday. Outside these times, the Act notes that building work must be inaudible. General recommendations for noise and vibration minimisation are included in Section 6.

Operational noise from the 73 x inverter/transformers has been assessed in Section 7.2 against the nominated noise limits. A noise level reduction of 15 dB at the worst affected receiver is required to achieve compliance with the nominated criteria. A range of mitigation strategies has been suggested including:

○ Implementing noise controls at the source by requiring a maximum equipment sound power level as part of the procurement of the inverter/transformers.

○ Design of noise barriers around the inverter/transformers.

○ Orientating the inverter/transformers to minimise noise emissions to nearest residences.

○ Relocating inverter/transformers further from residences towards the centre of the site.

○ Purchase of properties most affected by the project noise. .

Operational noise from the substation has been assessed in Section 7.3 against the nominated noise limits. Based on the nominated locations in Figure 7.2, it is required that the allowable sound power level of the proposed substation is 83 dBA Lw,eq,T (assuming tonality penalty of 5 dB) or 88 dBA Lw,eq,adj,T (if free of tonal characteristics). It is noted that if noise mitigation is applied to the solar inverter/transformers, this would permit an increased sound power level for the substation.

By following the above recommendations, it is predicted that noise levels will be compliant with the nominated criteria.

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Appendix A Glossary

Parameter or Term Description

dB The decibel (dB) is the unit measure of sound. Most noises occur in a range of 20 dB (quiet rural area at night) to 120 dB (nightclub dance floor or concert).

dBA Noise levels are most commonly expressed in terms of the ‘A' weighted decibel scale, dBA. This scale closely approximates the response of the human ear, thus providing a measure of the subjective loudness of noise and enabling the intensity of noises with different frequency characteristics (e.g. pitch and tone) to be compared.

Day The period between 7am and 6pm.

Evening The period between 6pm and 10pm.

Night The period between 10pm and 7am.

Free‐field The description of a noise receiver or source location which is away from any significantly reflective objects (e.g. buildings, walls).

L1 The noise level exceeded for 1% of the measurement period.

L10 The noise level exceeded for 10% of the measurement period. It is sometimes referred to as the average maximum noise level.

L90 The noise level exceeded for 90% of the measurement period. This is commonly referred to as the background noise level.

Leq The equivalent continuous sound level, which is the constant sound level over a given time period, which is equivalent in total sound energy to the time‐varying sound level, measured over the same time period.

Leq,1hour As for Leq except the measurement intervals are defined as 1 hour duration.

Lmax Maximum A‐weighted sound pressure level.

Leq(24 hour) The average Leq noise level over the 24‐hour period from midnight to midnight.

L10(18 hour) The arithmetic average of the one‐hour L10 values between 6am and midnight. This parameter is used in the assessment of road traffic noise.

Rw Weighted Sound Reduction Index – is a single number evaluation of the property of a partition to attenuate sounds. For the majority of partitions, the value of Rw will be similar to the value for STC. Partitions with particularly poor performance at 100 Hz may have lower values for Rw than for STC. Conversely, partitions with poor performance at 4000 Hz may have higher Rw than for STC. (As per AS1276.1‐1999).

Habitable Rooms According to the "Building Code of Australia" a Habitable Room is: " a room used for normal domestic activities and Includes a bedroom, living room, lounge room, music room, television room, kitchen, dining room, sewing room, study, playroom, family room, home theatre, and sunroom, but

Excludes a bathroom, laundry, water closet, pantry, walk‐in wardrobe, corridor, hallway, lobby, photographic darkroom, clothes drying room, and other spaces of a specialised nature occupied neither frequently nor for extended periods."

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Appendix B Project Drawings

SolarQ – Development Application – Engineering Report

Engineer Report Page 16

Attachment 1: Development Land Area



Attachment 2: Site Layout (Draft and Prior to Final Design)



Attachment 6 – Woolooga Substation current layout



Attachment 7 – Powerlink Woolooga Substation 132kV and 275kV Expansion areas

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Appendix C Noise Logging Results

Figure C.1 Graph of Noise Logging Results at Location A

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Figure C.2 Graph of Noise Logging Results at Location B

Figure C.3 Graph of Noise Logging Results at Location C

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Table C.1 Statistical Noise Levels at Location A

Parameter Statistic Noise Levels dBA

Day Evening Night

Lmax Maximum 89 80 79

Top 10% 73 72 67

Average 66 61 57

(Median) 66 60 57

Bottom 10% 58 51 50

Minimum 51 45 41

L1 Maximum 83 75 72

Top 10% 71 66 59

Average 61 54 51

(Median) 60 53 52

Bottom 10% 51 46 44

Minimum 45 41 36

L10 Maximum 73 73 69

Top 10% 67 57 52

Average 55 48 44

(Median) 54 46 43

Bottom 10% 45 41 37

Minimum 40 32 33

Leq Maximum 70 70 66

Top 10% 63 54 50

Average 52 45 42

(Median) 52 43 40

Bottom 10% 44 38 36

Minimum 38 31 32


Top 10% 51 40 47

Average 42 35 36

(Median) 41 35 34

Bottom 10% 35 28 30

Minimum 31 26 27

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Table C.2 Statistical Noise Levels at Location B


Day Evening Night


Top 10% 67 62 62

Average 61 56 52

(Median) 60 57 50

Bottom 10% 56 47 42

Minimum 50 43 34

L1 Maximum 82 63 73

Top 10% 61 57 55

Average 56 50 45

(Median) 56 51 44

Bottom 10% 52 43 35

Minimum 47 34 29


Top 10% 57 55 49

Average 52 44 40

(Median) 52 43 39

Bottom 10% 48 37 31

Minimum 44 31 27


Top 10% 54 52 47

Average 49 43 38

(Median) 49 41 37

Bottom 10% 45 36 30

Minimum 42 30 25


Top 10% 46 47 44

Average 42 37 33

(Median) 41 36 32

Bottom 10% 37 32 26

Minimum 35 28 23

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Table C.3 Statistical Noise Levels at Location C


Day Evening Night


Top 10% 81 69 66

Average 70 56 55

(Median) 69 54 53

Bottom 10% 61 47 47

Minimum 52 40 41

L1 Maximum 80 69 66

Top 10% 69 59 56

Average 61 49 50

(Median) 61 48 50

Bottom 10% 54 41 44

Minimum 46 38 39


Top 10% 61 54 52

Average 55 45 46

(Median) 54 44 47

Bottom 10% 47 38 40

Minimum 40 36 35


Top 10% 59 51 50

Average 52 43 44

(Median) 52 41 45

Bottom 10% 44 36 38

Minimum 40 34 33


Top 10% 47 42 48

Average 40 37 40

(Median) 40 36 41

Bottom 10% 32 33 32

Minimum 26 32 29

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Appendix D Noise Level Contours

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LOWER WONGA SOLAR FARM - Gympie Council · 2017-05-03 · 8796R01V01.docx 5 1. Introduction ASK...

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