Falmouth Wind Turbine Document IEC 61400-11 Template- Noise Impact Assessment

The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) has been documenting wind turbine sound power levels measurements since at least 2002.

The IEC tracks and documents sound power level data provided by manufactures

The latest edition of the new International Standard IEC 61400-11 was prepared by IEC 61400-11 edition 3.0 year 2012. This edition replaces the second edition published in 2002.

The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is a worldwide organization for standardization comprising all national electrotechnical committees (IEC National Committees).

IEC 61400-11 TS (IEC, 2006a) deals with acoustic emissions from wind turbines.

The IEC cooperates closely with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). In addition, it works with several major standards development organizations, including the IEEE with which it signed a cooperation agreement in 2002, which was amended in 2008 to include joint development work.

The heart of the problem today is the installation of two Vestas V-82 commercial 1.65 megawatt wind turbines owned by the Town of Falmouth. The two turbines are replicas of Neg Micon NM -82 commercial 1.65 wind turbines. Vestas purchased Neg Micon prior to 2004.

Both Denmark where the Vestas turbines were built and the United States are members of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).

Vestas wind turbine company had warned the Town of Falmouth their turbines generate 110 decibels of noise. The noise level warning is twice that of General Electric turbines used in the Falmouth wind studies.

The Town of Falmouth hid the Vestas 110 decibel noise warning until after 2013 when the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center admitted "mistakes" in the original acoustic noise studies. An email shows everyone involved in the original installation was aware of the IEC noise standards.

There is no wind turbine study for Falmouth Wind II or both turbines operating together.

The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative today the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center was the state agency who originally owned Falmouth Wind I.

The state agency had all the documents associated with the Vestas V 82 commercial 1.65 megawatt turbine.

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Below an email from: Brian Hopkins, Vestas Representative To: Stephen Wiehe, Weston & Sampson ( Town of Falmouth contract engineer)

The email shows that prior to 5/28/2010 wind turbine installations before that in fact the Falmouth wind turbines exceed the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standards.

The Vestas August 2010 110 decibel noise warning letter to the Town of Falmouth confirms the turbines were too loud to be placed near residential homes.

The August 2010 Vestas warning letter states the town had been previously warned about the noise levels.

The town by May of 2010 had been warned at least three times by Vestas wind company the turbines exceed IEC noise standards

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The email :

Fri

5/28/2010 1:48 PM

Brian Hopkins brhop@vestas.com

RE: Sound / Feasibility Studies

TO: Wiehe, Stephen, cc Duijvesteijn, Olle; Yanuskiewicz, Francis

Steve, I don't believe I saw a feasibility study for Falmouth other than Site Plans. Was a sound study updated with the additional turbine?

Does the information I provided in the octave band data support the conclusions that you are conservatvely within MA state sound regulations?

The table highlights the fact that V82 produces greater decibels when it reaches its stall regime beyond the IEC design standard at 95% capacity.

The table also helps recognize the effects of shear on the sound levels experienced at receptors which should also be considering with the sound study.

My email was lost from the time we did the first turbine so I don't have a great record of information but do you have this decibel mapping for Falmouth?”