TECH ENVIRONMENTAL PRESS RELEASES

2007-09-09: The Growth and Potential of Small-Scale Wind Power

Wind power has been around for centuries. Everyone has seen pictures of ­iwc big pilot replica windmills in Holland and in the American old West, used to pump water and grind grain. In the late 1970s, wind power was utilized on a limited scale to produce electricity.  Wind turbines in that era were noisy, expensive, and low-powered. Consequently, favorable locations for wind turbine installations were limited.

However, recent developments in wind turbine design have made small-scale wind power generation much more practical. High-efficiency blade designs, featuring stronger, lighter, larger blades, have led to greatly improved power production, reduced costs, and low noise levels. The new turbines are now practical and competitive for wide-scale power generation usage. In particular, small-scale wind projects are now being advanced by private developers who wish to power their facilities with wind, as well as by Roger Dubuis Replica Watches communities who wish to construct municipal wind power generating Health Care Tips stations to reduce citizens' electrical costs. The first type of project usually has power levels below 2 MW, while the second usually has power levels up to 10 MW.Wind turbine technology has advanced substantially from years past... (1980s)...making small installations more feasible. (2007) The demand for these installations is evident across the Northeast: a columnist for the Providence Journal recently called for small-scale wind in Rhode Island, while a selectman in Hampton, New Hampshire is pushing for that municipality to utilize wind power to its benefit. The Portland Press Herald reported recently that several Maine towns are following the lead of Saco, ME, which has installed one wind turbine and is considering adding another. An Amherst, NH man made headlines with his attempt to install wind turbines on his property to power his house, while a recent article reports that hundr­eds of small wind turbines are being installed at homes in upstate New York. A lengthy Boston Globe article described the movement toward small-scale wind power as reaching "critical mass," describing efforts to install wind turbines at such diverse facilities as a community college, a high school, a union hall and a ski resort. At present, a large number of other small-scale wind projects are being studied in the Northeast.

Addressing concerns about appearance, noise, shadow flicker, bird migration and air traffic obstruction has proven to be a significant challenge for potential project developers, both private and community-based. A recent Salem [MA] News editorial noted delays in a small-scale wind project on Cape Ann due to legislative wrangling over the issue of wind turbines. However, when relevant legislation is finalized and put in place across the Northeast, small-scale wind projects will be able to move forward with more certainty in the region. With luck and regulatory/legislative cooperation, a sizeable fraction of these sites will prove to be acceptable for wind power generation, and will soon begin to provide clean, renewable power.

For more information, contact Peter Guldberg at PGuldberg@techenv.com or at ext. 106.

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