LENOX — The town of Lenox will continue with plans for the construction of a wind- powered electrical-generation turbine on town owned land off Reservoir road, following a unanimous vote by the Selectmen last week.
The board decided to move into “Phase 2†of a program sponsored by the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, a state agency that recently launched a $4 million initiative to help cities and towns tap into the power of the wind. Phase 2 involves site selection, contracting plans and the erection of a wind-resource monitoring tower called a meteorological tower or “MET tower.â€
The plan endorsed by the Selectmen calls for clearing enough land to erect the 50-meter-high tower and allow room for its guy wires. The tower, which measures wind frequency and velocity, is a temporary structure that will be removed after collecting data for a full year. After four months of measurement, a good indication of the site’s potential can be gauged, but testing will go on for 12 months to compile a complete set of data for the site, according to local officials.
After testing is complete, the town will have to decide whether to go ahead with the “community windmill†project or cancel it.
The program, known as the Community Wind Collaborative, offers wind monitoring equipment, data analysis, technical assistance and funding to communities that have expressed interest in exploring development opportunities for community-scale wind turbines. Town Manager Gregory Federspeil said that strategy for developing wind projects is an attractive alternative to the traditional developer-initiated approach, providing no cost tools that will allow cities and towns to evaluate, plan, develop and potentially own wind-energy sites, maximizing public benefits.
“We spend around $100,000 a year on electricity for our water treatment plant, and if we could reduce or eliminate those costs, or even turn a small profit on any excess electricity fed back into the grid, it would be a good thing for the town†Federspiel said during last week’s meeting.
He said the project “fits well with the town’s efforts to find ways to become more efficient, cost effective and environmentally friendly.â€
“It will be a fairly lengthy process, if it goes at all,†he added. “It will take a full year after the MET tower goes up before you have enough data to ensure the site is viable.â€
The board’s decision to move forward with the land clearing and erection of the tower came after a presentation by Kristen Burke of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative.
“Wind power is a clean, secure alternative for many communities to meet local electricity needs and may also be a potential source of revenue,†Burke said.
To date, over 50 communities in Massachusetts have expressed interest in the program and are in various stages of the process. Lenox is so far the only town in Berkshire County actively involved, but Richmond officials have expressed interest in joining and making the project a two -own collaborative. The area being considered for the MET tower straddles a ridge near the intersection of Reservoir and Dunbar roads, close to the boundary of the two towns.
The collaborative employs technicians from the Renewable Energy Research Laboratory at the University of Massachusetts to erect MET towers and analyze data for each site. The collaborative provides full funding for the process.
Phase 1 of the program involved project conception, identification of potential sites and community education and planning meetings. As part of the Phase 1 process, a Wind Tower Subcommittee met at Town Hall June 15 to hammer out a timetable and start identifying potential sites.
If the project moves to Phase 3, the collaborative will fund a feasibility study for community ownership, present the study results to the public and provide community education to all interested parties. Phase 4 — moving toward actual construction of a wind turbine — would begin if the study concludes the project is viable and accepted by the community. The collaborative would provide assistance in finding a contractor and financing options to construct the turbine.
According to Burke, “A good wind site is when you’re looking at an average of a 14.5 mph wind at the 70-meter height.â€
A state study recently determined that much of Western Massachusetts has winds sufficient to study erecting turbines. Searsburg, Vt., has 11 wind turbines that were commercially developed, and enexco Inc., an international corporation plans to build about 20 towers in the North County towns of Floria and Monroe next year.
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Air Quality Alert Issued for Berkshire County
Staff reports
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The state's on an air quality alert through midnight Thursday because of the smoke from wildfires in Canada.
Berkshire residents woke up to smoky, hazy skies and a red glowing sun on Wednesday morning, but with less oppressive heat.
The Department of Environmental Protection issued an air quality alert for elevated levels of fine particles (PM2.5). This refers to microscopic airborne particles measuring 2.5 micrometers or less in diameter — about 30 times smaller than a human hair. These particles come in many sizes and shapes and can be made up of hundreds of different chemicals.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says the size of these particles can cause serious health problems because they can get deep into your lungs and even into bloodstreams. Particles less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter pose the greatest risk to health.
The air quality statewide is expected to be unhealthy for sensitive groups. These include people with heart or lung disease such as asthma, older adults, children, teenagers, and people who are active outdoors. People with either lung disease or heart disease are at greater risk from exposure to air pollution.
MassDEP advises people in sensitive groups to reduce prolonged or heavy outdoor exertion, take more breaks, do less intense activities, follow asthma action plans, and keep quick relief medicine handy. Watch for symptoms such as coughing or shortness of breath.
EPA's air quality index rates levels from "good" at 0-50 and "very unhealthy" from 201 to 300. Residents of Williamstown can track the AQI through PurpleAir, which displays results from monitors in five sections of town.
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