January 19, 2013
Massachusetts

Wind turbines study group completes 53-page report

By Scott A. Giordano | THE BULLETIN | January 18, 2013 | www.wickedlocal.com

FALMOUTH – After eight months of meetings, it came down to four recommended options with regards to the town’s wind turbines, Wind 1 and Wind 2, located at the Falmouth Wastewater Treatment Facility: Full operation of the turbines, curtail the running hours (through one of two curtail options) or remove the turbines and replace them with a solar photovoltaic array at the town landfill.

Those are the recommendations that stemmed from a 53-page detailed report from the Falmouth Wind Turbines Options Analysis Process (WTOP), which is being presented to the Falmouth Board of Selectmen this evening, Jan. 18. The report describes the WTOP’s process and how it reached its conclusions.

For the past two and a half years, the turbines have been a source of dissention among Falmouth residents and public officials, with those living near the turbines claiming serious sleep disturbances and adverse health effects, and property owners claiming the values of their homes is depreciating. Meanwhile, town officials continue to weight these concerns with the economic and environmental issues involved with the turbines.

The WTOP has met more than 25 times since May to explore the options for the long-term future of Falmouth’s turbines. WTOP stakeholder representatives include both town officials and residents who experienced adverse impacts from the turbines. Additionally, two Falmouth selectmen and a representative from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) attended the discussions as observers.

In addition to their recommendations, the WTOP explored other options that were not recommended to the selectmen. These included use of sound barriers and berms, moving the turbines, mechanical alterations to reduce noise; and legal action against engineers, contractors, and consultants.

Look for more details in the Jan. 23 print edition of The Bulletin, with updates from Wicked Local Falmouth.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/01/19/wind-turbines-study-group-completes-53-page-report/