April 7, 2012
Massachusetts, Opinions

Falmouth wind turbine history

Posted by Bill Carson, falmouth.patch.com 7 April 2012

Massachusetts Technology Collaborative now called the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC)

The MTC/ MassCEC should pay to move the Falmouth Wind Turbines

The Town of Falmouth and its residents need to take a hard look at how they got the loud commercial wind turbine. A semi-quasi state agency, Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, had been stuck with two 1.65 MW commercial wind turbines in a warehouse in Texas since 2004 at $3500.00 per month rent. The cost of the turbines around 5 million and the rental fees were proving to be a political embarrassment for the renewable energy progress in Massachusetts.

The semi-quasi state agency had put the wind turbines on the auction block and was providing the funding and resources for wind studies which included noise studies to install the commercial wind turbines that they were “stuck” with.

Several towns in SE Massachusetts received these types of positive reports for the installation of these two older gear driven wind turbines. The selectmen of the towns just outside New Bedford read the semi-quasi state agency reports and took the bait. The selectmen who had very little knowledge of commercial wind power as did the selectpeople in Falmouth decided to act fast and look into the wind turbines thinking they were free like the wind.

The local SouthCoast residents hired their own wetlands scientist and looked into the siting setbacks. The town quickley stopped the project for “economic reasons.”

The Town of Falmouth was given another incentive besides a well written positive wind siting report done by the semi quasi state agency and that was the stimulus fund loans. Arrangements were made for an EPA waiver and stimulus funds to install the commercial wind turbine.

The Falmouth selectpeople and the residents of Falmouth thought they were getting the deal of a life time and the semi quasi state agency, the owners of the five year old turbines, got to dump the turbines on the Town of Falmouth.

The turbines bought in 2004 have been a political embarrassment since they were purchased and continue today with the noise issues and over 50 Falmouth residents sick over the noise many having to live in their basements.

Therese Murray President of the Senate. D Plymouth was asked to help Falmouth residents with the Town of Falmouth,Wind 1 turbine. Murray says she has her concerns over the health issues reported by Falmouth residents.

Another set of state paid for wind noise studies are being done yet again. The turbines need to come down. They are too close to residential homes. The turbines were a mistake from the start. It’s time to admit they were a mistake and take them down.

The Falmouth selectpeople believed the semi-quasi state agency .It’s time for the state to step in and straighten out the mess.

Auction reference 2008
http://www.masshightech.com/stories/2008/08/04/weekly7-MTC-puts-mothballed-wind-turbines-on-auction-block.html


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/04/07/falmouth-wind-turbine-history/