"Maine wind farm not soothing to all ears; Turbines’ sounds have town divided" by Brian MacQuarrie, Globe Staff | August 30, 2010
VINALHAVEN, Maine — Three white wind turbines, their 124-foot blades stretching 39 stories high, churn out more electricity than is used on this picturesque, pine-studded island off mid-coast Maine. Some residents call them objects of graceful art, others point to lower utility bills, and the environmentally conscious hail the benefits of clean energy.
But to some families living near the land-bound turbines, which began spinning in November, the blades signify something else.
“That noise is so insidious that you can feel it,’’ said David Wylie, 62, a transplant from Concord, Mass., who has owned property on the island since 1992. “I didn’t come up to Vinalhaven to live next to a dishwasher.’’
Instead of a win-win mix of green power and continued tranquility, Wylie and other critics said, the turbines have brought chest-thumping noise, questionable cost savings, and frustrating stonewalling from wind farm managers who reject their claims of night-rattling sound.
Related: Cape Wind Clean Up
At least those will be out at sea.
“It feels like we’re the guinea pigs for an experiment in public policy,’’ said Alan Farago, 56, a summer resident of Vinalhaven who also lives in Coral Gables, Fla.
He's got the gi$t of it.
The complaints have stoked a running argument with the Fox Islands Electric Cooperative, a ratepayer-owned entity that operates what is the largest coastal wind farm in New England. And they have fallen on deaf ears among most of the island’s 1,200 year-round residents, who are seeing an average annual savings of $300 in their electric bills, according to the cooperative.
In July 2008, ratepayers voted, 383 to 5, to endorse the wind farm. That near-unanimous majority included many of today’s critics, who backed the effort despite its proximity to homes and families. The 130-turbine Cape Wind project in Massachusetts, by contrast, provoked a storm of controversy even though the offshore project is planned to be built 5 miles from Cape Cod.
“I love them,’’ Casey Martin, 20, said of the turbines. “I caretake for a bunch of homes around there, and you can’t even hear them unless you’re listening for it. To me, it’s a relaxing, whooshing sound.’’
“It doesn’t bother me none,’’ said George Gross, a 51-year-old lobsterman, as he worked on the harbor a couple of miles from the wind farm....
On one recent morning, the turbines rotated slowly in a gentle breeze, generating only a slight, pulsating sound that seemed more innocuous than intrusive. But....
A consultant hired by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection says wind turbines installed on Vinalhaven Island exceed state noise standards. Some neighbors have expressed frustration over the nighttime noise levels, and the consultant agreed that the three turbines exceed the 45-decibel limit. Fox Island Wind was dedicated in November with a goal of easing electricity rates. Fox Island Wind has insisted that it meets state guidelines (AP)."
More Hot Wind: CEO says Maine turbines do not violate state noise regulations
That's settled then:
"Bids sought for pilot wind, tidal projects
Maine utility regulators are inviting bids from companies interested in developing offshore wind and tidal energy projects. The Public Utilities Commission announced the bids last week; proposals are to be submitted by May 1, 2011. The PUC can authorize long-term contracts for offshore wind pilot and demonstration tidal projects (AP)."
So when will you be heard, citizens of Maine?
