Noise

24 Hours a Day, 365 Days a Year

Data centres operate around the clock. Cooling fans, chillers and mechanical equipment can create a constant industrial hum or drone.

A Virginia government study found it was often the constant nature of the noise, not extreme volume, that caused problems for nearby residents.

Low Frequency Noise

Data centres can produce low frequency noise, which can be more difficult to block and can travel farther than higher frequency sound.

Health Canada research found wind turbine infrasound can be measured up to 10 km away. They also found low frequency sound can pass through buildings and, depending on the level, can cause vibration, rattling and annoyance. Governments are concluded that data centre noise presents “unique challenges”.

Decibels Don’t Tell the Whole Story

Virginia found data centre noise can generate complaints even when it is not loud enough to violate local noise bylaws.

The constant nature and low frequency of the sound can be what makes it difficult to live with.

Combined Gas Plant

A co located gas plant brings another source of industrial noise from turbines, exhaust systems, compressors, pumps and cooling equipment.

The concern is not just one facility. It is the combined noise from industrial equipment operating around the clock.

Decibels are not Enough

Decibels are used by Data Centers used because they can easily be dealt with, if you can’t hear it there is no problem. Infrasound, inaudible to the human ear can cause headache, nausea, dizziness, fatigue, irritability difficulty, concentrating, sleep disturbance, stress, possible hearing loss and physical injury. Studies acknowledge it can be heard at least 10km away and perhaps substantially more. Clearly enough to cause havoc in the biosphere.

Here at Home

We are talking about bringing continuous industrial noise into a quiet rural area, potentially from both a data centre and a gas plant.

Before approval, we need to know what it will sound like, what frequencies will be produced and how far that sound could travel, and the effect on the biosphere and area residents.