Is the wind turbine really the best plan?
Duxbury Clipper, eduxbury.com 3 August 2011
Conservation and sustainable energy are very important topics that need to be addressed in a well thought out plan. Sustainable Energy Developments (SED), a for-profit company from New York, is planning to build a 20-story wind turbine in Duxbury. Their three locations area “financially and logistically viable” for them, but is it the best plan for us? SED has identified windy areas in Duxbury using a color coded map. All three Duxbury locations chosen by SED have less than desirable wind conditions for a turbine. So, why would we ever construct a wind turbine in these locations?
SED’s number one location is North Hill, which happens to have the very least desirable wind conditions of their three choices. SED actually built a turbine on a site with insufficient winds. Let’s hope this doesn’t happen to us. SED’s second best choice is Location 2 DPW. Don’t be fooled by the name. This location is hundreds of yards behind the DPW, in the middle of the conservation land. It will be the back drop for the Mayflower Cemetery, The First Parish Church and Town Hall.
Their third choice is right in the middle of the Knapp Town Forest, behind The Mayflower Cemetery. Where ever it is built, they need to clear an acre of trees and pave an access. Is this really what we want to do with our conservation land? Would anyone be in favor of a 20-story office building on these sites, hoping to save the town 20 percent on their electrical bill? We invest millions of dollars preserving our open space and natural surroundings. Do we really want to follow in the footsteps of South Boston, Medford and Hull?
We are hearing terms like shadow flicker, fall zone, 50 decibels, etc. We won’t know the full impact from this turbine until it’s too late. By then SED will be off to another project, the turbine will be spinning nonstop and it will outlast everyone reading this article. I ask, is this really the best plan for Duxbury?
Dan Campbell
Tremont Street
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2011/08/03/is-the-wind-turbine-really-the-best-plan/