The Arnprior Solar Project

Location: Arnprior, Ontario, Canada
Owner/Developer: EDF Energies Nouvelles
Operations & Maintenance: enXco Service (Canada) Corporation

The Arnprior Solar Project is one of the largest solar PV sites in Canada, and when it came online in 2009, it more than doubled the grid-connected solar PV capacity in the country. Arnprior is comprised of two adjacent sites west of the city of Ottawa, Ontario, with electricity production from the two sites connecting to the Hydro One distribution line to provide clean, safe, and sustainable electricity to the local community. The two solar generating stations have a capacity of 23 MW and can meet the peak energy demands of approximately 7,000 homes.

The Arnprior Solar Project’s Site A includes nine inverter/transformer enclosures, while Site B includes 10 inverter/transformer enclosures. Each inverter/transformer enclosure contains two 500 kW inverters, a small 1 MVA transformer and a cooling fan. Additionally, each site includes one main site step-up transformer.

Solar Farm Sound Sources

The primary sound sources associated with this facility include the inverter ventilation intake and outlet, the cooling fan on the inverter/transformer enclosures, access openings on the inverter/transformer enclosure and the main electrical transformers. The inverter/transformer enclosures are energized between 05:00 and 22:00 and generate electricity when light conditions allow. Outside of these hours the inverters do not operate due to low light conditions and are disconnected from the grid. The main site transformers are connected to the main electrical grid and can generate sound at all hours.  The area surrounding the facility is a “Semi-Rural” (Class 2) acoustical environment.

Acoustic Audit

HGC completed a comprehensive Acoustic Audit of the two adjacent facilities. The Acoustic Audit was required to fulfill a condition of their Environmental Compliance Approval from the Ontario Ministry of the Environment.  The acoustical measurements and analysis indicated that the combined sound emissions from both Arnprior facilities comply with the applicable sound level criteria during all hours of the day and night under typical “predictable worst case” operating conditions.

Acoustical consulting services delivered:

• Conducted detailed acoustical measurements, in accordance with Ontario Ministry of the Environment procedures, to fulfill an Audit condition in the Environmental Compliance Approval.