Towns see big savings in wind (Mass.)

[jpak]

http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080325/NEWS/803250315

Many a town administrator would like to be in Adm. Rick Gurnon's shoes.

Gurnon, the president of Massachusetts Maritime Academy in Buzzards Bay, estimates his school saved $250,000 over the past year in electric bills because of power generated by a 660-kilowatt, 242-foot wind turbine installed in June 2006. And that's with a relatively low average wind speed last year, he said.

Gurnon expects to save enough to pay for the $1.4 million turbine in less than six years.

Now, the Cape and Vineyard Electric Cooperative, launched last June by the Cape Light Compact in collaboration with the town of Barnstable and Barnstable County, hopes to help local towns enjoy those same benefits. The Compact is the regional energy group that purchases electricity through New York-based ConEdison Solutions on behalf of its 170,000 customers on Martha's Vineyard and Cape Cod.

Under the proposed plan, Cape and Islands towns would agree to build enough turbines on their combined lands to take care of municipal energy needs. The cooperative would finance and own the turbines and sell energy back to the towns.

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[diane in sf]

1. I wish most of my investments had that good a payback!

[madokie]

2. I just seen some big assed wind turbine blades pass through town a couple days ago

looked like they were somewhere in the 130 plus feet long too. If I could afford it I could see how a solar and wind system could supply us our energy needs especially hooked to the grid for nights, windless and cloudy days. If public money was put into renewable energy sources like it has been in the nuclear industry we would be in a much better shape today. More than likely we wouldn't be in the climate crisis we are now in either.

[NMDemDist2]

3. IF, but of course if we were all mostly energy independent how would

the poor utility companies make their profits??

poor utility companies.......


:sarcasm: