Due to the very complicated situation regarding the location of the air-conditioning units and the motor-generator in the built-up centre of the town, it was necessary to prepare a noise study (acoustic assessment), which shows what noise protection measures are needed.
The problem is that there are several residential buildings just a few metres from our building and the laws and ordinances are clear – any of our facilities must meet the necessary standards day and night. And this also applies to the motor-generator, which, although it is only a back-up power supply that only runs for a few hours a month (either for testing or in exceptional situations), there is no exception for this in the current legislation.
The full acoustic study can be downloaded at the end of this article.
As a result:
- the outdoor air conditioning units, located on the roof of our building, have to be enclosed by a 4 m high noise-absorbing wall
- the motor-generator must be housed in a “hut” of 0.5m wide walls and ceiling, which must absorb all noise up to the required level
- similar requirements are for the “shack” where the substation will come
These are quite extreme noise abatement measures, but we have no other option. In order to run these devices, we have to fulfil everything.