Ball Hill Wind Energy Project, New York
Location: Chautauqua County, New York
Owner/Operator: Ball Hill Wind Energy
Client: Town of Villenova
HGC Noise Vibration Acoustics was retained by the Town of Villenova in Chautauqua County, New York to perform a Noise Validation Test at a residential location near the Ball Hill Wind Farm, in response to concern raised by residents regarding noise thought to be associated with the nearby wind turbine generators. The Ball Hill Wind Energy project, operated by a subsidiary of Northland Power, is a 108 megawatt capacity project encompassing 25 Wind Turbine Generators on around 9,715 acres of land.
Wind Farm Noise Validation Testing
The test was performed in the front yard of the property in accordance with the methods outlined in the Host Community Agreement between the Town of Villenova and Ball Hill Wind Energy.
The Agreement indicates that the applicable sound level limit for the noise from the wind project is an L10 sound level of 50 dBA at a residence, or for areas with elevated background sound, a sound level limit of the background sound plus 5 dB. In this case, background sound levels were observed to be low, and thus the sound level limit of 50 dBA is applicable
In general, the area around the measurement site was rural in nature, with infrequently travelled asphalt and gravel roads. Road traffic was occasionally audible during the measurements.
The results of the Validation Test, performed in accordance with the methods outlined in the Host Community Agreements with the Town of Villenova, were summarized and submitted to the Town of Villenova.
Acoustical consulting services delivered:
- Acoustic Assessment in accordance with Wind Farm Host Community Agreement
- Offsite acoustical Noise Validation Testing for a wind farm
