Falmouth wind turbine

Carter Wall

Executive Director, Renewable Energy Division, Massachusetts Clean Energy Center

View Carter's Complete Bio

After less than a month in operation, the Falmouth Wind turbine is cranking out the green kilowatt hours like nobody’s business. See how much it's producing.

This turbine was truly a community effort. The town voted overwhelmingly to support the project, and even school kids got involved. The Falmouth Energy Committee sponsored a “Name the Wind Turbine” contest. Thirteen-year-old Kiernan Galbraith, pictured here, was the winner, dubbing the turbine “Aeolus,” after the Greek ruler of the winds. See pictures of the turbine.

Funding for the turbine came from a variety of sources. My shop, the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, was a proud contributor – part of our effort to help communities participate in meeting Governor Patrick’s goal of 2000 megawatts (MW) of wind power in the Commonwealth by 2020. There are currently 19 of these community-scale turbines (turbines 100 kW or greater) operating in the state, with over 15 MW of capacity.

This 1.65 MW Vestas wind turbine, located at the town’s wastewater treatment plant, is expected to produce about 30 percent of the electricity consumed annually by the town’s municipal buildings, saving the town over $200,000 a year on energy costs and making Falmouth one of the leading “clean energy” towns in the Commonwealth. The town recently voted to support another turbine nearby. EEA Secretary Bowles recently visited the Falmouth turbine to congratulate town officials and the Cape at large for their clean energy leadership.

Comments

[Peter Goben]

I am for turbines but they are increasingly being proposed and erected to close to residents and not where the winds are strongest in an area. With net metering they should be sited where winds are strongest and as far away from residents as practical. Look at a wind map to see where the winds are strongest. Otherwise it's like placing solar panels in the shade of trees. Placing them too close to residents will require frequent stops or reduced generation of power due to noise and strobe. Property value headaches have already been proven in Europe and now the evidence is coming to light here. Please take time to do this right or it will be rejected as yet another green left wing conspiracy. Please site turbines based on logic and not to make communities feel they are doing their part at the expense of the a few residence.

[BARRY FUNFAR]

With all the information available on the ill effects these large turbines have on people living within 1.25 miles of them I feel the siting of this project was a horrendous mistake. As an abutter at 1662 feet from the back of my home to the tower, I know first hand the irritating sound and motion produced by this machine. This is a quality of life and health issue. In the end this town turbine #1 will either be replaced by a neighbor friendly version or be moved to another site. The rush to be green is a blind race that is trampling many citizens basic human rights. We humans in your path should be treated at least as well as you must consider a Spadefoot toad, purple milkweed, or salamander.

[BARRY FUNFAR]

Despite my post above, I am for clean solar & wind energy. When I was growing up on a farm in North Dakota where we did not have REA electricity until 1956, we used a windmill to pump our water and a wind charger to keep up a series of batteries for lighting. They were rather noisy mechanical contraptions, but a far cry from the continuous mind wrenching irritating whooping of the 400 foot monster now in my back yard. After it wears on you for awhile it seems worse. These big turbines need to be sited in barren fields a couple of miles from the nearest home to be compatible with most human beings.
With so much recent controversy over the problems we are having, I expect that projects such as Cape Winds Vineyard Sound wind farm will face a much greater resistance to being built.

[Kenzieestefaniaa]

The information about the wind turbine is very informative and useful for my studies. I hope more articles to be posted on the wind turbine .I suggest the author to visit the site http://investmentsinenergy.com , since this site has a great deal of info about the investments made in the renewable energy sector and in wind turbines.

[Generate Wind Power]

Aeolus is truly born from a community coming together to make a statement that green energy is a decision which a community can undertake. Falmouth has taken a stand. When will your community rise to the challenge?

[Frank haggerty]

The Falmouth Massachusetts wind turbine in National news !

Falmouth Wind Turbine Noise on PBS - Utube Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAVgqH9I8EM

NewsHour Connect: Effects of Wind Turbines on One Massachusetts Town

NewsHour Connect: Mass. Community Reacts to Living Near Wind Turbines

[Peter M. Goben]

Since the publishing of the article above the residents living around Falmouth Wind 1 have had to have it shut down numerous times and continuously for about 6 months due to health, noise, or strobe issues. Again, I call on supporters of wind power, like myself, to erect these behemoths wisely. The negative effects are not only being borne by local residence but will soon affect the turbine industry. Popular opinion is swaying due to the underhanded way cities and towns are circumventing local zoning laws to provide a profit for private companies through energy tax credits at the taxpayer’s expense. I reside in Fairhaven, MA and we are having our own issues with a town government that appears to be bought and paid for. For more information on Fairhaven's windwise movement go to http://www.windwide.org
It is unfortunate that such a noble cause (saving the planet) has been turned into such an ugly business. My grandfather often told me, “Do it right, or don’t do it at all’… DITO!