Town of Falmouth

Wind Energy Project

Summer 2010

T
he Town of Falmouth has undertaken a Wind Energy Project that consists of two turbines known as
Wind I and Wind II. The turbines will operate at Falmouth’s Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) off
Blacksmith Shop Road. They will generate electricity to provide energy for treatment plant and other
operations for the next 20 years and to offset energy usage at other Town-owned facilities and buildings. Any
additional revenues from sales of renewable energy credits will be paid to the Town. The project will help the
Town meet its commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 10% below FY 2001 levels by 2010 and
offset energy costs, saving taxpayers money. Wind I began commercial operation on March 23, 2010. Wind
II is currently being constructed, with commissioning planned for Fall 2010. Falmouth is working with the
Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), the Massachusetts Department of Energy
Resources (DOER) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on this project. This fact sheet
addresses questions frequently asked about wind power and Falmouth’s wind turbine installation.

What is the role of wind power in How were the site and technology chosen?
Falmouth? Once the community committed to reducing carbon
Falmouth has been a leader in embracing sustainable emissions, the Energy Committee began a three-year
practices and renewable energy. With community feasibility analysis. In 2004, the Massachusetts Renew-
support, the Energy Committee began studying the able Energy Trust (MRET) erected a meteorological
option of wind power in 2002. The preferred path to a (MET) tower on the Blacksmith Shop Road WWTP site
sustainable energy future for the community is target- to measure wind speed, direction and other factors
ed uses of renewable energy sources, which includes to determine the viability of the treatment plant site.
powering specific Town facilities that use the most Factors supporting the location were the distance
electricity, such as the Wastewater Treatment Plant. between the site and the closest residential properties;
This approach offsets operations costs by generating the favorable topography; and vegetative cover. The
needed energy and reduces the Town’s carbon foot- data collected from the MET tower indicated excellent
print by using clean energy instead of fossil fuels. wind resources at the site. Key factors in evaluating
wind resources are the wind’s consistency and veloc-
Why was wind chosen over other ity. The process culminated in November 2005 with
a financial analysis and feasibility study that recom-
renewable sources? mended using the WWTP for a permanent installation.
The Town elected to install wind turbines at the WWTP
because they have a smaller footprint than an array of
solar panels needed to generate the same amount of
electricity. In addition, there are other planned uses
for the WWTP site. Wind turbine technology is also
more cost-effective than photovoltaics, translating
into greater electricity generation for the Town and
responsible use of the grant funding provided un-
der the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
(ARRA). The location of the second turbine (Wind II)
is based on spacing needed to minimize interference
due to potential turbulence between towers, favorable
elevation and use of existing open space at the site
(which limited any required clearing).
Wind I turbine under construction.

Town of Falmouth Wind Energy Project Summer 2010 | 1

 How is the project funded?
Wind I was funded by a mix of general obligation
bonds, grants and advanced payments on renewable
energy credits, which are known as RECs. RECs
are generated when carbon-neutral electricity is
produced; they are then sold on the market. Wind
II is being funded entirely by the ARRA through the
State’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) grant/
loan program.

How do the turbines work?

Modern wind turbines use their blades to collect the
Preparation of nacelle (generator) prior to placement on wind’s kinetic energy. The aerodynamic design of
top of the tower. the blades causes a lifting effect, just like an airplane
wing, which enables the blade to capture the wind’s
energy and turn. As the blades rotate, they turn a shaft
Wind I and II Fast Facts connected to a generator that creates electricity. The
nacelle is what the rotor (blades and hub) attaches to
l Two 1.65 megawatt Vestas V82 turbines on top of the tower. It houses the generator and other
mechanical equipment needed to generate electricity
l Tower heights – 262 feet from the wind. Most modern turbines are upwind ma-
chines that need to turn or “yaw” into the wind in order
l Rotor diameters – 269 feet to capture its energy. The turbine will adjust its blades
and direction constantly to maximize its ability to gen-
l Overall heights – 397 feet erate electricity from the ever-changing velocity and
direction of the wind. In high wind events, turbines
furl their blades and turn out of the wind in order to
l  he turbines supply electricity credits for
T
protect themselves. Wind I cuts out at 20 meters per
Town-owned buildings and facilities second (around 45 MPH). The larger the swept area of
the blades (think collector area), and the higher and
l  evenue from excess energy generated is
R more consistent the wind speeds, the more electricity
paid to the Town by the utility the turbine can produce.

l  ind 1 produces 3.1 to 4.2 million

W What impacts could turbines have?
kilowatt hours annually; with Wind II on
Wind turbines are large industrial pieces of equipment.
line, the turbines will offset existing and Falmouth’s turbines are located at the Wastewater Treat-
future electrical energy demands for the ment Plant, which is in the Public Use zoning district.
wastewater treatment plant and facilities The property is surrounded by trees and the towers
located throughout the Town through were sited where they would capture the most wind
while remaining as unobtrusive as possible.
virtual net metering
Typical wind turbine sound is best described as
l  ind I and Wind II will meet about 60% of
W “swooshing.” This is an aerodynamically generated
Town-owned facility energy needs sound that comes from the rotation of the blades in
the wind. In addition, mechanical sounds from the
nacelle also produce sound. However, the “swooshing”
l  stimated carbon dioxide offset of more
E
aerodynamic noise is the likely dominant source of
than 1.5 metric tons annually (808 lbs/MWh wind turbine sound. Turbines need to be maintained
from ISO-NE at 4,200 MWh annually) like any piece of equipment and sound can also result
when elements of the turbine need to be adjusted.
l  oal: reduce greenhouse gas emissions below
G
FY 2001 levels by more than 10% by 2010 The Town, with community input, took great care in
siting Wind I to minimize the potential for adverse

2 | Summer 2010 Town of Falmouth Wind Energy Project

 public health impacts. Wind energy is relatively How are the sound impacts being assessed?
new to the public health field. There are not yet any
To address potential turbine sound impacts, the
definitive studies on potential health impacts of wind
Town directed its engineering firm for the project,
power facilities. The Town is taking residents’ recent
Weston & Sampson, to hire an acoustical engineering
concerns about sound related impacts very seriously
firm. Harris Miller Miller and Hanson (HMMH) of
and will continue to work to address them.
Burlington, MA, was retained in June to conduct the
study. In collaboration with Wind I neighbors and
How is the Town responding to recent their acoustical engineering consultant, Noise Control
complaints regarding sound from the Engineering, the Town and its consultants developed a
turbine? scope of work for the sound study. Sound monitoring
took place at locations within a half-mile radius of
Since Wind I began operations there have been spo-
Wind I and Wind II between June 18 and June 28. The
radic reports of noticeable sounds from the turbine
study included:
from several property owners near the facility. The
Town takes residents’ concerns very seriously. Upon Continuous sound measuring microphones placed at:
first hearing about potential sound issues, the Town
l 2 11 Blacksmith Shop Road
immediately notified the manufacturer and the tur-
bine operation was restricted so it would not operate l 1 24 Ambleside Drive
at wind speeds of 22 miles per hour or above. The
Short term sound measurements were taken periodi-
manufacturer then evaluated the machine’s systems
cally, and microphones placed at:
and operations during a planned shutdown to ensure
it is operating within the manufacturer’s standards. l 1 61 Blacksmith Shop Road
Any problems identified during the manufacturer’s l 2 7 Ridgeview Drive
evaluation will be corrected. The restriction on Wind
I’s operation was lifted after the review. l I ntersection of Research Road and Thomas B.
Landers Drive
In early June, the Town hired an acoustical engineer- l C
 ul-de-sac at the end of Durham Road
ing firm to perform a sound study and staff met with
interested property owners to discuss the proposed In addition, to correlate sound measurements the fol-
study. The scope of work was shared with the residents lowing data were collected:
and their consultants to get input on various study l N
 ear surface wind speed and direction at
elements, including the duration of, and locations for 10-meters above ground
taking measurements. In early July, an update was
mailed to residents within a half-mile of Wind I and l  ind speed and direction at the hub of the
W
Wind II and emailed to a contact list to let residents turbine (80 m above ground)
in the area know about study progress and next steps. l P
 ower output data log
The update was also posted on the Town’s website.
When completed, the Sound Study Report will be pub- l Alarm conditions and logs
lished on the Town’s website and shared with abutters. To supplement the sound measurement data col-
Updates will continue to be distributed and posted as lected, the Town sent log sheets to approximately
the Wind Energy Project progresses, including updates 230 property owners within a half-mile of Wind I and
on the construction of Wind II.

Town of Falmouth Wind Energy Project Summer 2010 | 3

 Wind I turbine completed.
Wind II. Neighbors were asked to record their per-
ceptions of sounds from the turbine during and after
the sound measurements were being taken. This
anecdotal information will be compared with data
collected by the microphones and will be helpful in
correlating the sound levels on the recordings with
the neighbors’ experiences.

During the 11-day monitoring period for the study,

the turbine operated through a range of wind
conditions from below the cut-in wind speed of 7.8
MPH to the rated capacity of more than 26.8 MPH.
This allowed the team to capture a variety of wind
speed conditions.

The results of the sound study will be shared with

the public once the report is completed. The Town
anticipates this will be in mid to late August.

How can I stay informed?

If you would like to receive updates by email, please
send an email to falmouthwind@gmail.com with
subscribe in the subject line. You may also visit the
Town’s wind website by visiting the Home page at
www.falmouthmass.us and following the link to the
Energy Committee under the Departments listing.
Monthly updates of energy production and carbon
offsets are available at the PowerDash website –
www.powerdash.com/systems/1000160.

Glossary
Renewable Energy Certificates, or RECs: also known
as Green tags, Renewable Energy Credits, are tradable,
Cut-in Wind Speed: The wind speed at which non-tangible energy commodities that represent proof that
a turbine starts to operate and produce electricity. 1 megawatt-hour (MWh) of electricity was generated from
Wind I’s cut-in speed is 3.5 meters per second an eligible renewable energy resource. These certificates
(7.8 miles per hour). can be sold and traded or bartered, and the owner of
the REC can claim to have purchased renewable energy.
Kilowatts (kWh) and Megawatts (MWh): These have value of $40 to $45 per MWh ($0.04 to $0.045
The kilowatt hour is a measure of energy equal per kWh) to the Town of Falmouth, based on contracts
to 1000 watt hours (energy in watt hours is the with the Cape and Vineyard Electrical Cooperative and
multiplication of power in watts and time in hours). Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (formerly Mass
The kilowatt hour is most commonly known as a Renewable Energy Trust).
billing unit for energy delivered to consumers by
electrical utilities. Megawatt hours are often used Virtual Net Metering: Part of the MA Green
for metering larger amounts of electrical energy to Communities Act of 2008, net metering allows excess
industrial customers and in power generation. electricity generated by Wind I and Wind II to be credited
to the Town’s aggregate electricity accounts.
Nacelle: The housing for the generator and other
turbine components of a wind turbine, it sits on top WWTP: The Town of Falmouth’s Wastewater
of the tower. Treatment Plant, which is located off
Blacksmith Shop Road.

4 | Summer 2010 Town of Falmouth Wind Energy Project