January 10, 2011
Letters, Massachusetts

Big lawsuits could follow all those wind turbines

Cape Cod Times, www.capecodonline.com 10 January 2011

Gov. Patrick wants to see 2,000 megawatts of wind power in Massachusetts. Cape Wind plans 468 megawatts, leaving 1,532 megawatts – say, 610 turbines of 2.5 megawatts at 450 feet tall needed.

There are around 127 miles of best wind along the shoreline between Falmouth and Provincetown. These turbines should be placed about a half-mile apart, so only 254 turbines fit; the remainder will be staggered more inland.

But the problem, as wind developers in Europe are quickly discovering, is that one does not erect a commercial turbine within 1.25 miles of a residence. Dong, a huge developer in Denmark, is looking into abandoning further consideration of onshore wind production. Experience shows around 15 percent of people living near such turbines are affected by noise/vibrations below hearing range made by big wind turbines, to the point of having to abandon their homes.

Falmouth is so troubled today. If, say, each of those 610 turbines Gov. Patrick wants displaces five families, that’s more than 3,000 families forced to move away. If they sue developers at $500,000 a home, that’s a $1.5 billion problem in Vacationland!

Bruce McPherson

Hyannisport


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2011/01/10/big-lawsuits-could-follow-all-those-wind-turbines/