Falmouth Wind Turbine II Last Yugo On The Lot

"Snake Oil Salesman." The phrase conjures up images of seedy profiteers trying to exploit an unsuspecting public by selling it fake cures. Welcome to Falmouth, Massachusetts USA

Vestas wind turbine company in 2004 bought a wind turbine company called NEG Micon. NEG Micon was selling gear driven wind turbines called the NM-82 type 1.65 megawatt wind turbines. The company went bankrupt over gearbox bearing failures. Vestas began selling the NEG Micon platform as the Vestas V-82 type 1.65 megawatt wind turbine in 2005.

The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative today the Mass Clean Energy Center in 2005 bought two of the Vestas turbines for 2.6 million dollars each. The gear driven turbines could not be sold at auction until Falmouth purchased one in 2010.

Today no one buys a used gear driven wind turbine or a used Yugo car with a gear shift. All wind turbines today are called direct drive. They no longer produce gear driven wind turbines because of gearbox bearing failures and blade replacements are done as routine maintenance.

The Town of Falmouth hired a company for $14,000.00 to convince the public to invest 3 million dollars in an eight-year-old Vestas V-82 type 1.65 megawatt wind turbine known as Falmouth Wind II or as I call it the last Yugo car on the lot.

The town is taking down Falmouth Wind I in which case the company said it is only good for parts. The company hired by the town has prepared a study which says that the town could net over 5 million over the life of the Falmouth Wind II turbine. The same company said probably no one would buy Falmouth Wind I? If you could get over 5 million on one turbine why couldn't someone else net the same for Falmouth Wind I?

The report is full of contradictions.

The cost to move Falmouth Wind II to the new location is 3 million but the engineers left out the routine replacement of blades at 3 million and gearbox bearing replacement at 1 million for a total of 4 million.The Spokesman for the company stated the turbines could last thirty years. They have only been building the turbines since 2004 or about 14 years there is no 30-year-old gear driven turbines. This puts the gear driven turbine in the same class as the Yugo car and when was the last time you saw one of these going down Route 28?

At some point in time, people look out in the driveway at their old car and decide its time to get a new one. The Town of Falmouth is heading down the road to invest 3 million to move Falmouth Wind II along with associated " normal routine maintenance" that will exceed the original purchase price of the turbine.

At one point at the presentation last Monday the company said it was good the turbines had not been spinning for years and extended their life. The Select Board for years has told the public the turbines need to spin 24/7 as that is how they are built. The Town Manager stated the wind turbine owned by a private business in town had run for years with no problems but he forgot that turbine was out of service for 2 months in January and February having "normal routine maintenance " taking the blades off and replacing bearings in the gearbox. The story was in the Cape Cod Times but left out the cost!

To justify borrowing the money it has been suggested to get a 30-year loan on the 8-year-old wind turbine? A 30-year loan on a wind turbine with a maximum life sold as twenty years?

Folks prior to the construction of the wind turbines Vestas of America notified the Town of Falmouth in 2010 the turbines generate 110 decibels of noise. The result of ignoring the 110-decibel noise warning was 8 years of litigation at up to $260,000.00 every six months at Town Meeting. The litigation fees alone are close to the purchase price of the first wind turbine.

Sadly, this harkens to a version of the "Pied Piper" fable where once again the 'piper' broadcasts false enchantments upon the naivety of a community. Should it be so soon that Falmouth forgets the first follies from a host of misrepresentations that got them here in the first place?

Many so-called "mistakes" were made placing the Falmouth wind turbines. Another mistake in Falmouth Wind II would more than likely end up in multiple years of litigation and class action litigation with up to 200 residential homeowners.

Time to stop the insanity? Commercial wind is a bunco scheme of enormous consequence. The people who value intellectual honesty should not quietly be fleeced by such mendacity, even from their government officials!

Falmouth Massachusetts USA -Weston& Sampson -Wind Turbine II Presentation 1 Hour and 36 Minutes Into Video - 3 Million