Three MA Towns – All With Vestas Wind Turbines

Three MA Towns – All With Vestas Wind Turbines

Sometimes we’re told that Falmouth’s wind turbines are “too close” to residences. Let’s take a look at that – what is “too close”?

Massachusetts has a model bylaw for siting wind turbines, created in June 2011 by the MA Executive Office of Environmental Affairs. The bylaw provides a setback to existing residential structures, of three times maximum tip height of the turbine. That distance, for Falmouth’s turbines is 1200 feet. Falmouth has no homes located within this setback distance.

A natural question would be: what are other communities experiencing? Mount Wachusett Community College in Gardner, MA, has two Vestas V82 turbines, identical to Falmouth’s. Gardner District Court (108 Matthews Street Gardner, MA) is within 590 feet of both turbines. Heywood Hospital is 850 feet from one turbine. Click here for an aerial view. In Falmouth, the nearest homes are about 1300 feet from the turbines.

Hull MA also has two Vestas turbines. The first is smaller than Falmouth’s (660 kW, same as Mass Maritime) and is located 220 feet from Hull High School. The other is a 1.8 MW turbine, larger than Falmouth’s, located within 500 feet of the nearest home. Over twenty homes, including a multi-story apartment building, are located within 1000 feet. Unlike in Falmouth, the turbines in Gardner and Hull operate 24 hours a day, every day, whenever the wind blows.

If Falmouth’s turbines are a reasonable distance from homes, then what’s causing the controversy? The answer may come from the medical community. Here’s an excerpt from the Australian Medical Association’s position paper Wind Farms and Health 2014 -

“Individuals residing in the vicinity of wind farms who do experience adverse health or well-being, may do so as a consequence of their heightened anxiety or negative perceptions regarding wind farm developments in their area.. The reporting of ‘health scares’ and misinformation regarding wind farm developments may contribute to heightened anxiety and community division, and over-rigorous regulation of these developments by state governments.”

Closer to home, five Falmouth physicians wrote a letter to Falmouth’s board of health on 3/19/13. Here’s an excerpt: “Credible public health research indicates that psychogenic nocebo effects may be largely responsible for the controversy, as well as NIMBYism.”

Falmouth’s board of health sent a letter on 10/19/15 to the board of selectmen and zoning board of appeals. The letter cites a massive, peer-reviewed study from the Canadian Government, which found “no association” between turbine noise and health or sleep effects, after medical studies in 1238 homes near wind farms.

The next time you hear that Falmouth’s turbines are “too close”, pause to consider the model bylaw, the setbacks used in other towns, and the statements of medical professionals.

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