Falmouth Massachusetts Wind Turbine Resurrection Doubtful

The Falmouth Massachusetts Board of Selectmen Strategic Disposition Plan requires that they crack a few more eggs to make the wind turbine omelet.

In order to achieve something, some sacrifices or mistakes are inevitable over the disposition of the Falmouth wind turbines. They always say you can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs. When it comes to the Falmouth wind turbines the "eggs" are the taxpayers and the people who live around the wind turbines.

In January of 2019, the Falmouth Select Board directed the town Attorney and Manager to prepare three requests for proposals, RFP, to dispose of the wind turbines. The Select Board now in July of 2020 gives the Town Manager until the end of the fiscal year 2022 to come up with the disposition of the turbines.

The Falmouth Selectboard strategic plan in the fiscal years 2020 thru 2024 puts the disposition of the two town-owned Vestas V-82 type 1.65 megawatt turbines to the end of 2022 according to a chart associated with the ill-fated wind turbines.

The two town turbines were engineered as Neg Micon wind turbines in the late 1990s. Vestas purchased failing Neg Micon in 2004 after they suffered a large loss due to gearbox failures.

The Falmouth town-owned Vestas wind turbines do not have a manufacturer's date as they were assembled around 2004 and held in storage until installed in Falmouth in 2010 and 2012. To be assembled in 2004 the individual parts from different contract manufactures had to predate 2004. Many parts to wind turbines are outsourced to other manufacturers.

For all intent purposes, the wind turbine engineering and parts installed in 2010 and 2012 were near ten years old at installation time.

The state of Massachusetts who purchased the wind turbines in 2004 put them up for auction around 2008 prior to being sold to the Falmouth area. No one bid on the old gear-driven turbines. The state desperate to get rid of the turbines gave the Town of Falmouth one million in advanced renewable energy credits to unload the relics on unsuspecting taxpayers.

The Massachusetts courts shut down the two nuisance 110-decibel wind turbines in June of 2017 making them around 15 years old according to the assembly dates.

The Falmouth Select Board fiscal year 2020 to 2024 strategic plan puts the disposition of the two turbines until the end of 2022 where they will hit the assembly twenty-year mark. The turbines still have the original gearboxes and blades.

The town is looking to operate and lease space to operate the turbines out of town. By 2022 the turbines will be looking at several additional years of multiple construction permits at that time the turbines assembly dates will be near 25 years the life of the turbines.

The town is still paying off a 5 million American Recovery and Reinvestment Act loan. Outside legal counsel hired by the state of Massachusetts has advised the Town of Falmouth that Wind II is subject to specific provisions of ARRA and applicable federal regulations and guidelines ("Federal Law') in addition to the terms and conditions of the Project Regulatory Agreement ("PRA") and the Loan Agreement brokered by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection associated with the funding of Wind II.

Falmouth Town Meeting in November 2019 voted 2.5 million and more down the road to move the antique gear-driven wind turbines out of town.

The Town of Falmouth has spent an inordinate amount of taxpayer resources on Boston law firms and multiple engineering companies fighting to keep the two town wind turbines operating.

Don Quixote always said individuals can be right while society is so wrong. But today Don would just say you have to crack a few more eggs to make an Omelet.

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LInk To : Falmouth Massachusetts Board of Selectmen Strategic Plan

FY2020 – FY2024

Pages 16

B. Alternative Energy Sources
1) Manage the disposition of municipal wind turbines.

Page 17

disposition of municipal wind turbines up to 2022

http://www.falmouthmass.us/DocumentCenter/View/6767/Five-Year-Strategic-Plan-FY2020---FY2024

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State of the Town: Falmouth Wind Turbine Update February 2018

Massachusetts Courts Shut Down Nuisance Wind Turbines Forever June 2017

Falmouth Select Board Chair Susan Moran