State OK s wind turbine at LWSC

LYNN – Roughly one-third of the cost of a proposed waterfront wind turbine could be paid for with a $600,000 state grant awarded this week to the Water and Sewer Commission.Water and Sewer’s request for state help in building the 254-foot windmill was one of only nine similar projects picked for funding.State officials said the grants will help pay for the design and construction of three projects, including the LWSC project, and for feasibility studies for another six.”We were one of many, many applicants,” said Commission Sewer Operations Director Robert Tina.Tina said the five Water and Sewer commissioners will discuss as soon as next Monday plans for putting the turbine project out to bid. Commissioners have debated the project’s feasibility and reviewed permitting and funding requirements since 2004.”The site has a good wind resource and it is anticipated that 100 percent of the electricity produced by the project will be consumed behind the meter,” the state Renewable Energy Trust stated in announcing Lynn’s grant.Trust spokeswoman Emily Dahl said “behind the meter” use means most, if not all, of the power produced by the turbine will be used by Water and Sewer to reduce its energy costs. Estimates calculated in 2007 indicated Water and Sewer spends more than $300,000 annually in electrical costs but that estimate might be conservative.Initial plans call for building the turbine, similar in size to one in Chelsea with its trademark white blades, near the Commercial Street sewage treatment complex and the adjacent landfill.The turbine will work like a windmill to convert wind blowing along the waterfront into electricity for use at that complex.A turbine located on Buzzards Bay similar to the one proposed near Commercial Street produced $300,000 in electricity savings.”Wind energy is a core component of Governor Patrick’s plan for the Commonwealth’s clean energy future,” said state Energy Secretary Ian Bowles. “These nine grants will help get more wind turbines installed and help more community institutions reduce their use of fossil fuels.”The Governing Board of the Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust approved the grants totaling more than $2.2 million. Project funding included design and construction grants for the Water and Sewer project and other new wind projects totaling more than 4 megawatts (MW) in capacity.”These heavy energy-users – municipal and state facilities, schools, retail centers, and farms – have much to gain from wind power, and the Trust is glad to be able to put wind power within their reach,” said Phil Giudice, commissioner of the Department of Energy Resources (DOER) and chair of the Trust’s Governing Board.Funds for the Trust come from renewable energy charges on electric bills, which generate roughly $25 million a year to support renewable energy installations and companies.