LENOX — An international engineering firm is being guided by satellites in determining the feasibility of putting a wind turbine atop a Lenox mountain.
Two engineers from Black & Veatch, an Overland Park specialist in power generation, came to Lenox on Dec. 15 at the request of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, which is seeking to install a tower to test the wind high over Lenox near Reservoir Road.
Kristin Berke a specialist working for the collaborative, brought Ryan Jacobson, the company’s headquarters energy manager, and Jeffrey Stillman, a project engineer in its Boston office, to meet with Town Manager Gregory Federspiel and review the site.
They walked up the logging road to the point 1,800 feet high near Reservoir Road where the town hopes to install a tower to test to see if the wind is sufficient to for a turbine that would generate enough electricity to power an estimated 250 homes.
The collaborative, which is financing the initial studies of the tower proposal, hopes to erect a temporary tower designed to test wind speed and frequency for a year, after which the town would build a permanent turbine, at a total cost estimated at nearly $2 million.
The major question facing the collaborative, the town and the engineers is how to move three 1-ton windmill rotor blades up the steep slope to the tower site. The possibility of using a helicopter to do the hauling at considerable expense has been raised. However, Federspiel reported after the meeting that the engineers think they might be able to arrange the move over land.
Before making their final recommendation, the engineers carried high-tech equipment up to the proposed turbine site and used a Global Positioning Radio-Navigation System (GPS) to pinpoint details of the area with messages from a galaxy of 24 satellites and their ground stations.
They took the data home with them to prepare a detailed feasibility report, which will be submitted early next year.
Federspiel, in an interview following the meeting with the Black & Veatch engineers, said his previous doubts about the windmill project had been alleviated by the visit.
“Overall, that I was feeling more encouraged I guess, is the bottom line,†Federspiel said. “They didn’t think it was impossible. They felt that one way or another, they could make it work. The paddles may have to be unloaded off of their regular highway vehicles and put on a special trailer that is brought up by a tractor of some sort.â€
The reaction from Jacobson, the collaborative’s energy manager was, ‘I think it’s doable,†but he said more information gathering would be necessary.
“They took lot of positions,†Federspiel said. “They had their GPS tracker. They were pinpointing where they were on the ground and will go back to the topological maps and do a more detailed analysis. They were being cautious, but I was hearing ‘It looks like we could make something work, one way or another. There is a possibility.’â€
Federspiel followed up the trip to the mountaintop by informing the Selectmen at the Dec. 19 meeting that he was feeling more optimistic about the project than he was a couple of months ago. After the meeting, he added “There is still a lot of work to be done and a lot of meetings and hearings are still to come before we are going to do anything.â€
The only other site deemed suitable for a wind tower is on preserved land and is not currently under consideration.
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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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