Re: Northern Virginia has had enough with data centers

[William Herrin <bill () herrin us>]

On Sat, Jun 24, 2023 at 3:02 PM Hal Murray <halmurray+nanog () sonic net> wrote:
> Why are gensets loud?

They're high power internal combustion engines. Explosions are loud.


> If I wanted a less noisy one, could I get it?

Yes. If you run the engine at 3600 rpm to get 60 hertz ac power, it's
a lot "louder" than if you run it at 1800 or 1200 rpm and use the wire
windings to step the frequency up to 60 hertz. This is because high
frequency sound at the same decibels is perceived to be louder than
low frequency sound.


> Are the zoning people smart enough to include noise limits?

It depends. Agricultural and industrial zones don't generally have
noise ordinances. When they do, the ordinances tend to be written as
decibels rather than perceptual disturbance.

Regards,
Bill Herrin


-- 
William Herrin
bill () herrin us
https://bill.herrin.us/