Falmouth Turbine Complaints Continue
Barry Funfar wants an answer from the Falmouth Board of Health: why is the turbine “Wind 1” in operation long after its shut-off time of 7:00 pm? He deserves an answer. He is frustrated that he doesn’t even get an acknowledgement of his complaints.
The time is 9:40 PM on Friday, Nov. 2, 2012. Falmouth Industrial Wind turbine I is still in operation long after its 7:00 PM scheduled shut off time. My wife and I were watching the “Hurricane Relief Fund Raiser” on television and I was certain I could sense that telltale wind turbine affect in my chest that I call my anxiety center. A bit later going outside I could immediately hear the familiar stationary though fluctuating jet engine sound that the turbines so often make. Not believing it could be going, I went upstairs where we have a very clear view of the turbines. At 9:40 PM Wind One remained in operation with the loud characteristic noise that affects me severely. Only by popping a fist of prescription [medications] have I been able to hopefully head off another panic attack.
Now measuring, my pulse is already 142 with a blood pressure of 160/97 and rising. I am on medications for high blood pressure and palpitations with normal readings for me of a pulse in the 50s and blood pressure of 120/70.
The Falmouth wind turbines are KILLING me. I doubt if any one of you on The Committee has a realization of how intense the detrimental health effects caused by the turbines can be. I almost hope to die so my wife can bring the biggest lawsuit ever against the Town and anyone who had anything to do with constructing these horrific machines. They were sited improperly and by now I think everyone should realize this fact. Many studies on noise and proper setbacks had been accomplished by 2004 when the “Feasibility Study” for Falmouth was done. here were noise studies done by NASA in the 1970s that indicated a large setback was necessary.
Too bad no Falmouth Officials bothered to research the information that was out there rather than relying on The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (now the CEC/Clean Energy Center) and the firms they hired and paid to do the early studies. No wonder the Town ignored the Special Permitting Processes. It is also no wonder that many of us victims have no faith or trust in the Falmouth Selectmen for their handling to date of this urgent problem. It would cost less to remove these machines than the cost overruns on the renovated high school.
[Why was] this turbine allowed to be in use at this hour? I make every effort to be away from my home when the turbines are operating—between your stated hours of 7 AM to 7 PM. I believe no one got back to me the last time I had a complaint with multiple runnings of the turbines well past their designated shut-off time.
Wind Wise ~ Massachusetts 
Here is the gear box review done by DA Roberts LLC . The Otis Wind Turbine is just after 80 minutes:
Video of the Portsmouth Wind Turbine Meeting Oct 23, 2012 . The video says that the wind turbine at Otis AFB which is a Furlander with a gear box has failed .
Click on “Report on the mechanical condition of the Wind Turbine by Don Roberts of DA Roberts LLC” in the URL Look at 80 minutes into the video to see “Otis Wind Turbine Failure”
http://www.theportsmouthrecord.com/TownCouncil/ptc.10.23.12.Flash.htm
Get this : The spokesperson for Otis Air Force Base has said there is nothing wrong with there three year old turbine installed in 2009 !
The spokesperson goes on to say they found metal and bad bearings in the most expensive part of the turbines gear box. Now the story goes on that they are going to change out a 400 thousand dollar gear box in a turbine that isn’t broken and hire a crane for 100 thousand to replace the gear box.
The spokesperson who has known since last January that the gear box is failing said they don’t know the cost of the replacement !
So here you have it the government from the top down is covering for a gear box failure .
The Otis wind turbine has been slowed down and many oil changes are taken place to try and keep it going . The bottom line is the Otis Wind Turbine (5 million three years ago) needs one million in repairs !
How is this reasonable and who can believe the spokespeople for the federal government
Authorities are always investigating what causes commercial wind turbines to catch fire .They always say the cause of the fire is not known. The public never finds out the cause of the fire.
Here is some food for thought.
The wind turbine gearbox is exposed to high heat.To date no gear oil has been invented to withstand the pressures produced within these transmissions. Several cases occurred where the housings of wind turbines caught fire. As housings are out of the range of standard fire extinguishing equipment. The wind turbine fire is a catastrophe.
A gear box is commonly used for stepping up the speed of the generator. The gear box holds about 200 gallons of caustic inflammable gear oil.
The owners of these wind turbines get advanced warnings of a impending gear box failure by the number of microns of metal grindings in oil samples in the gear box. Once the metal shows up in the oil it’s generally too late and the turbine needs a gear box replacement. The cost between 600 thousand and one million.
The turbine gear boxes have been failing within 5 years of the start of brand new turbines. The owners order a new gear box to be installed on site .The problem is the owner will run the old gear box in the turbine until it breaks down completely. Then replace the gear box with the one on hand .
What’s the gamble here ? It’s simple the owners gamble there will be no fire ! How often is this going on ?
The Massachusetts Military Reservation (Otis Air Force Base) received and installed its 1.5-MW Fuhrlander turbine in late fall 2009. The turbine has a gear box failure.
The gear box made by Jake ,a German company has had gear box failures in Portsmouth ,Rhode Island and Princeton ,Massachusetts. The turbine was built and finished December 15, 2009.
The Otis AFB turbine is still operating with a broken gear box ! Does this put the public at risk ?