State Report Outlines Potential Wind Power SitesBy Noah Hoffenberg
iBerkshires Correspondent
02:30AM / Monday, March 02, 2009
 | | Jiminy Peak Ski Resort's 1.5 MW wind turbine Zephyr. |
WINDSOR, Mass. — The state has identified dozens of potential sites for wind turbines and other kinds of "green" energy production across the state, with many of them right here in Berkshire County.
In the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Potential at State-Owned Properties report, compiled by the state Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs and released last Monday, sites in Windsor, Florida, Dalton, Savoy and numerous others were named as potential places for utility or subutility wind-turbine facilities.
The report fulfills a mandate of Gov. Deval Patrick's Green Jobs Act of 2008 to investigate the possibilities of green energy production and its accompanying work-force development. It also identifies sites of existing, planned and possible geothermal and solar energy production all in the commonwealth.
Wind power, however, has the largest potential of all the renewable energy resources, the report says.
Potential Wind
Power Sites in WM
| Location |
Estimated Kilowatts |
| Adams, Savoy |
15,000 |
| Ashby, Ashburnham |
13,500 |
Bourne
|
10,500 |
| Charlemont, Hawley, Savoy |
54,000 |
| Cheshire, Dalton |
12,000 |
Clarksburg
|
7,500 |
| Clarksburg, Florida |
16,500 |
| Fairhaven |
12,000 |
Florida
|
12,000 |
| Florida, Monroe |
28,500 |
| Florida, North Adams, Adams |
63,000 |
Great Barrington, Sheffield
|
10,500 |
| Hancock (area 1) |
34,500 |
| Hancock (area 2) |
10,500 |
| Hancock, Richmond |
10,500 |
| Hancock, Lanesborough, Pittsfield |
79,500 |
Hawley
|
7,500 |
| Hawley, Savoy, Plainfield |
15,000 |
| Lee, Stockbridge, Great Barrington |
21,000 |
Middlefield
|
7,500 |
Monterey
|
15,000 |
| Mount Washington, Egremont |
15,000 |
| New Ashford, Cheshire, Lanesborough |
21,000 |
North Adams, Adams
|
9,000 |
Otis
|
9,000 |
Peru
|
18,000 |
| Peru, Middlefield |
52,500 |
| Peru, Middlefield, Washington |
18,000 |
Plainfield, Cummington
|
7,500 |
Princeton
|
7,500 |
| Sandwich, Bourne |
36,000 |
| Savoy (area 1) |
70,500 |
Savoy (area 2)
|
10,500 |
| Washington (area 1) |
21,000 |
Washington (area 2)
|
10,500 |
| Washington, Lee, Becket |
58,500 |
Washington, Lenox
|
12,000 |
| Westminster, Princeton |
28,500 |
| Williamstown (area 1) |
18,000 |
| Williamstown (area 2) |
16,500 |
| Windsor, Peru |
28,500 |
Windsor (area 1)
|
7,500 |
Windsor (area 2)
|
7,500 |
Windsor, Dalton
|
7,500 |
| Total |
946,500 |
SOURCE: Commonwealth of Massachusetts' report on Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Potential at State‐Owned Properties, Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs Massachusetts Clean Energy Center
|
A 1.5-megawatt wind turbine, Zephyr, operating atop Brodie Mountain in Hancock, is the only one in Western Massachusetts. According to The Associated Press, roughly 3,000 turbines would need to be constructed to attain the governor's goal of generating 2,000 megawatts of wind power by 2020. Massachusetts has only nine wind turbines at present, which altogether produce less than 7 megawatts a year.
Ian Bowles, Energy and Environmental Affairs secretary, said in a letter Monday to legislators that small- and large-scale wind projects, in addition to other kinds of green energy operations, such as solar or geothermal, could generate as much as a combined 1 gigawatt of electricity, enough to power hundreds of thousands of homes in the state.
The majority of the sites named are owned by the Department of Conservation of Recreation, and have not been studied fully or faced environmental or feasibility review, the state says. Bowles states in his letter that some of the land is used to preserve habitat and wildlife, while other tracts are actively used for recreation and sustainable forestry.
The latter should be considered for green-energy production sites, which present potential income for host communities, and seem like the appropriate place for such activities, Bowles says.
Lisa Capone, spokeswoman for the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, said on Friday that it was too early in the process to determine whether public or private entities would operate the turbines, as well as which body would have oversight over the construction and development of the projects.
How a wind turbine facility would be received by a potential host community is yet to be seen. Searsburg, Vt., for instance, has a 6 megawatt, 11-turbine facility that's been welcomed by the town, aesthetically and financially. Elsewhere in New England, however, turbines have been fought to the end. Wind turbines proposed in the towns of Savoy and Florida have run into legal opposition from residents and local environmentalists; another 15 megawatt farm is being planned in Hancock.
In Windsor, resident Charles Sturtevant said the town has bylaws on the books for turbines that govern sighting, height and other environmental considerations, but was unsure how receptive Windsor residents would be to either a private or public wind tower being constructed in town.
"That's hard to tell. I really don't know how it would go," said Sturtevant.
Sturtevant said, considering this day and age when foreign oil is such a major flashpoint, that it was his feeling that the town might "warmly receive" a chance to evaluate the turbines.
"My hope would be that if someone came in with a decent site plan and a proposal that addresses most of the concerns, that we would [give it consideration]," said Sturtevant.
Sturtevant said green energy is a topic of interest for him, and he's even looked into the possibility of getting photovoltaic panels for his Windsor home. It turned out that his property had too much shade, and that solar panels wouldn't work there without drastic clearing of trees, he said.
He did express concern, though, as to what kind of economic benefit could be gleaned by the town, either by payments in lieu of taxes or taxes themselves, depending on whether a public or private entity pursued the turbine operation. He was also concerned about state mandates.
Like cell towers, people may warm to the idea, he said. |
