Cape & Islands Self-Reliance Corporation

Large Scale Projects

Municipal and Large Scale Wind

Land-based wind development is growing in the U.S. and interest is growing locally.  Many towns on Cape Cod are looking into the possibilities of installing turbines.  A number of towns with wastewater treatment facilities and municipal water pumping facilities see huge amounts of power being consumed, along with high costs associated with that power.  By installing wind turbines where power is consumed on-site, towns can realize energy savings over a relatively short period of investment.   

In March 2003, Self-Reliance and the Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (WBNERR) initiated a series of public forums on land-based wind power under funding from the National Estuarine Research Reserves’ Coastal Training Program. The objective of these workshops is to help municipal officials learn about wind power basics and about the more complex issues associated with wind energy development on their own, without the presence of a developer. Based on a needs assessment of the towns, Self-Reliance and WBNERR launched these workshops to educate the region’s to understand their unique energy needs and development possibilities, rather than allowing developers to dictate the process. These workshops have been very successful thus far in addressing common questions and in promoting information exchange among local officials, complementing the MTC’s efforts to support project-oriented activities through the Community Wind Initiative. The Community Wind Initiative assists municipalities with the predevelopment tasks to determine if utility-scale wind power is appropriate for them. 

In the Cape and Islands region, the following towns have joined the MTC's Community Wind Initiative and have an anemometer installed: Orleans, Brewster, Wellfleet, Eastham, Truro, Falmouth, Harwich and Bourne.  Other towns are beginning the process.  To learn more about how a town can join the MTC's Community Wind Initiative – please visit:  

http://www.masstech.org/renewableenergy/Community_Wind/index.htm

Links:

• The University of Massachusetts Renewable Energy Laboratory has created a number of fact sheets that relate to Municipal Wind: 
  • WIND TECHNOLOGY
  • COMMUNITY WIND PERFORMANCE
  • SITING
  • RESOURCE ASSESSMENT
  • PERMITTING
  • CAPACITY FACTOR
  • IMPACTS & ISSUES
  • WIND RESOURCE INTERPRETATION
• The Town of Hull has a 660 KW and a 1.8 MW wind turbine installed.  Learn more at:  www.hullwind.org