January 14, 2012
Massachusetts

Baystaters battle over wind turbines in neighborhoods

www.thebostonchannel.com 13 January 2012

KINGSTON, ma – Cape Wind is a controversial plan to put wind turbines in the waters of Cape Cod Sound. The battle has waged on between residents, power companies and builders 11 years.

Similar battles brewing all over the state, with some residents fighting plans to put those tall wind turbines on solid ground close to their homes.

Kingston resident Denis Borsari has a new dimension to his beautiful pond view.

“I didn’t receive any letters, I didn’t know about any meetings,” said Borsari.

He said three 411-foot high turbines were put up by a local developer without warning. They’re a week away from going online.

“I don’t know anything about the noise, the migration of birds, or the reflection on the water,” Borsari said.

Private developer Mary O’Donnell said the turbines will power 6,000 homes with clean, green energy.

“I’m a real renewable, sustainable energy kind of junkie. I think it’s the best,” said O’Donnell.

She said the turbines, once operational, will barely be heard.

“The town voted unanimously for me to do this,” she said.

Passage of the state’s Green Communities Act has resulted in a rush of alternative energy proposals from Milton to Wellfleet. Developers are buoyed by attractive federal and state incentives. Some projects are under way, while others have been delayed, scaled down or withdrawn because of concerns by residents.

“My main concern is they are too close to residential areas. There are worries about shadow flicker and health effects caused by infra-sound, just below audible hearing, that prove to be troubling to those living near turbines,’ said Plymouth resident Kerry Kearney.

Kearney fought a turbine project in his neighborhood and developed simulated models of others projects in the region to raise awareness.

He points to one turbine located 600 feet away from homes in a densely populated neighborhood as a poster child for bad planning.

“They’d rather just quietly build them. I talked to neighbors in this area and they had no idea about it until it was erected,” said Kearney.

Turbine proponents said they are active participants in the state’s goal to generate 2,000 megawatts of wind power by 2020.

Four turbines are planned on a 300-acre cranberry bog in Plymouth.

“You’ve got to look at where the wind is and we are standing where the wind is right now,’ said Greg O’Brien, spokesman for the Mann Bog Turbine Project. “It’s good for the community, for the proponent. and serving the needs of the country, energy needs, and we’re in serious trouble.”

The Mann project is getting started, but neighbors are appealing the construction of one of the turbines.

In Bourne, developers had to scale down a seven-turbine project because it was too close to homes. Their new proposal has yet to be approved.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/01/14/baystaters-battle-over-wind-turbines-in-neighborhoods/