Nahant selectmen support wind turbines on Causeway

NAHANT – The town is urging the state to install wind turbines on light poles along the Nahant Causeway as part of the rehabilitation project.Nahant Town Administrator Mark Cullinan said the Board of Selectmen sent a letter to the state Executive Office of Environmental Affairs this week in support of the wind turbines.”I think this is a great opportunity for the state to follow through on its commitment to alternative energy,” he said. “The wind turbines on the Causeway would be a real visual signal that the state is serious about alternative energy.”Selectman Mike Manning, who is also chairman of the Nahant Alternative Energy Committee, pointed out the decision to install the wind turbines rests with the state because it is state-owned property.Manning said the wind-powered lights on the Causeway would reduce reliance on power from coal fired power plants and other forms of traditional energy.”It is something the state could do that would benefit the environment without costing the state any money,” he said. “I’ve gotten a lot of calls from people in support of this project.”Cullinan attached a petition signed by more than 100 residents in favor of the wind turbines to the letter he sent to the state.The project was initially proposed by Deerpath Energy Inc., a small start-up company based in Marblehead. The company approached the town with a proposal to install new light poles and light fixtures on the Causeway fitted with small wind turbines.If approved by the state, Deerpath would mount the wind turbines, which are approximately 12-feet in diameter, on top of new light poles at no cost to the state or town.Deerpath Energy owner Kelly Warner said the Causeway is the perfect site because it is an open space, there are no barriers blocking the wind and the turbines would be attractive.Warner said the 12-foot wind turbines have a lot of advantages over larger wind turbines. He said the blades on the turbines are quieter than larger turbines and pose little or no risk to birds. He said studies show sliding glass doors are more of a hazard to birds than the small wind turbines.Warner said if the Causeway project is approved, his company would handle the installation, service and maintenance. According to Warner, the turbines would generate more power than light fixtures on the Causeway would use, so the excess power would be put back into a grid.”We would have a contract to sell the power generated by them,” he said. “On the Nahant Causeway we would work out an agreement to sell power back to the state. What we’re shooting for is to make it less expensive than traditional power.”