Code of Vermont Rules › Agency 30 - PUBLIC UTILITY COMMISSION › Sub-Agency 000 - GENERAL › Chapter 5700 - RULE ON SOUND LEVELS FROM WIND GENERATION FACILITIES › Section 30 000 5700 - RULE ON SOUND LEVELS FROM WIND GENERATION FACILITIES

Current through June, 2024
Section 5.701 Purpose
			 and Applicability
This rule establishes standards and procedures
				related to sound emissions from wind generation facilities that apply
				for a certificate of public good ("CPG") pursuant to
				30
				V.S.A. §
											248 on or after July
				1, 2017.
Section
			 5.702 Definitions
For the purposes of this Rule,
				the following definitions shall apply:
Commission
: the Vermont
				Public Utility Commission
Contributing turbines
: the
				turbine or group of turbines at a wind generation facility whose
				removal from a facility sound model results in a residual
				project-only predicted sound pressure level at the receptor of less
				than 30 dBA or a reduction in predicted turbine contribution of at
				least 6 dB at the point of measurement
CPG
: certificate of public
				good
CPG Holder
: a person or
				company who holds a CPG granted pursuant to
				30
				V.S.A. §
											248 for a wind
				generation facility
dB
: a unit used to measure
				the intensity of a sound wave using a logarithmic scale
dBA
: A-weighted
				decibel
Department
: the Vermont
				Department of Public Service
L A10
: Sound level exceeded
				during 10% of a measurement period
L A50
: Sound level exceeded
				during 50% of a measurement period
L A90
: Sound level exceeded
				during 90% of a measurement period
L eq
: Continuous sound level
				in dB equivalent to the total sound energy over a given period of
				time
NRO mode
: Noise Reduced
				Operation mode, in which the rotational speed of wind turbines is
				limited in order to reduce their sound emissions
Parti
cipating landowner
: a
				landowner who has signed a written agreement with a Petitioner
				stating that the sound emission and setback standards established by
				this rule do not apply to the landowner's
				property
Petitioner
: a person or
				company who has filed a petition for a CPG pursuant to
				30
				V.S.A. §
											248 to construct
				and/or operate a wind generation
				facility
Plant capacity
:
				pursuant to
				30 V.S.A. §
											8002, "plant capacity" means the
				rated electrical nameplate for a wind generation
				facility
Residence
: a permanent
				structure for human habitation that is occupied by one or more people
				for a minimum of 90 days each
				year
SCADA
: supervisory control
				and data acquisition or similar system capable of measuring and
				recording turbine operation and meteorological data in one-minute
				time intervals
Wind generation
				facility
: a wind-driven electric generation facility for
				which a petition for a CPG pursuant to
				30
				V.S.A. §
											248 is submitted to
				the Commission on or after July 1, 2017
Section 5.703 General Rule
No
				wind generation facility shall emit sound levels in excess of the
				following during operation:
(A)
Facilities
			 with a plant capacity up to and including 50
			 kilowatts
. Operation of facilities with a plant
			 capacity up to and including 50 kilowatts shall not result in:
(1) sound pressure levels that
			 exceed 42 dBA more than 5% of the time at a distance of 100 feet from
			 the residence of a non-participating landowner; or
(2) audible prominent
			 discrete-frequency tones pursuant to the latest revision of ANSI
			 S1.13 Annex A at a distance of 100 feet from the residence of a
			 non-participating landowner.