Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) Site and Equipment Noise Compliance

Energy storage is essential to New York’s investment in a cleaner grid, and the State is investing in Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) to be built across the region. BESS collect energy from the grid and then discharge that energy later to provide electricity or other grid services when needed.

To aid a New York-based BESS developer and independent power producer (IPP) in the site planning, design engineering, and regulatory compliance of these numerous BESS sites, an engineering firm was engaged to assist the developer in the design and construction of these sites including a 60 MW BESS facility on an almost 30-acre solar site on Long Island. Acentech teamed with the engineering firm to provide required acoustic studies to demonstrate compliance with various municipal and NY State noise limits, as well as ensure these important BESS components of future grid infrastructure fit adequately into the communities where they need to be located.

To determine the impact of noise from the planned BESS site’s equipment, Acentech developed an acoustic model to calculate the expected sound levels of each noise-producing piece of equipment located at the site to the nearby community and, most importantly, the residential receptors. The noise-producing equipment included battery storage containers, site inverters, substation transformers, and air conditioning for control houses.