Wind turbine eyed for ’Port police station
By Molly Lovell
Staff Writer
If everything goes as planned, Kennebunkport could begin harnessing wind as it whips over the Kennebunkport Police Department this winter.
SarahKasprzak-Lachance, chairman of the conservation commission, said the commission is working on securing federal stimulus money to put two, 60-foot windmills in the department parking lot.
The $48,000 grant would require a $9,200 match from the town that Town Manager Larry Mead said is available.
“There’s a revenue fund that’s existed for 10 years that was established for conservation efforts. There is sufficient money in that account,” Mead said.
Based on wind speed calculations, Lachance said the windmills could save the police department $754 a year in its electric bill, assuming utility rates don’t rise.
“That’s a 10-year pay back for the town,” she said.
Police Chief Joseph Bruni said it makes sense to put windmills at the department because the electronic equipment and air conditioning that’s needed to keep the equipment cool draws a lot of energy from the building.
It’s also a good choice geographically because of the land’s proximity to the coast and the location atop a high knoll, said Kasprzak-Lachance. She sees locating wind turbines in town as an opportunity to educate the public and schools about alternative energy, adding that the commission will plan educational events around the installation and put up informational plaques at the site.
Kasprzak-Lachance said the commission will find out if the grant application for the project has been approved in November. If approval is granted, it would take about eight weeks for All Season Home Improvement of Augusta to complete the project.
Meredith Greer, a project manager at All Season Home Improvement, said the company, owned by her father, Bob Greer, has been installing wind turbines for about three years.
“I would probably say since 2006, each year we’ve put up a third more than the previous year,” she said.
The company installed a wind turbine for the Bush family at Walker’s Point in 2007, but Greer said there’s no way to measure its success because before 2009, there was no way to measure such data.
Greer said it’s now general practice for windmill manufacturers to include a software program that surveys how much energy a turbine produces and the carbon dioxide that’s been prevented from entering the atmosphere.
Greer said the first step for those interested in using wind energy is to find out what the average wind speed is on their property, which most companies will do for free.
Lachance said wind speed at the police department is about 14 miles per hour, where the average speed to be successful in harnessing wind is about 10 miles per hour.
Molly Lovell can be contacted at 282-4337, ext. 223.
Staff Writer
If everything goes as planned, Kennebunkport could begin harnessing wind as it whips over the Kennebunkport Police Department this winter.
SarahKasprzak-Lachance, chairman of the conservation commission, said the commission is working on securing federal stimulus money to put two, 60-foot windmills in the department parking lot.
The $48,000 grant would require a $9,200 match from the town that Town Manager Larry Mead said is available.
“There’s a revenue fund that’s existed for 10 years that was established for conservation efforts. There is sufficient money in that account,” Mead said.
Based on wind speed calculations, Lachance said the windmills could save the police department $754 a year in its electric bill, assuming utility rates don’t rise.
“That’s a 10-year pay back for the town,” she said.
Police Chief Joseph Bruni said it makes sense to put windmills at the department because the electronic equipment and air conditioning that’s needed to keep the equipment cool draws a lot of energy from the building.
It’s also a good choice geographically because of the land’s proximity to the coast and the location atop a high knoll, said Kasprzak-Lachance. She sees locating wind turbines in town as an opportunity to educate the public and schools about alternative energy, adding that the commission will plan educational events around the installation and put up informational plaques at the site.
Kasprzak-Lachance said the commission will find out if the grant application for the project has been approved in November. If approval is granted, it would take about eight weeks for All Season Home Improvement of Augusta to complete the project.
Meredith Greer, a project manager at All Season Home Improvement, said the company, owned by her father, Bob Greer, has been installing wind turbines for about three years.
“I would probably say since 2006, each year we’ve put up a third more than the previous year,” she said.
The company installed a wind turbine for the Bush family at Walker’s Point in 2007, but Greer said there’s no way to measure its success because before 2009, there was no way to measure such data.
Greer said it’s now general practice for windmill manufacturers to include a software program that surveys how much energy a turbine produces and the carbon dioxide that’s been prevented from entering the atmosphere.
Greer said the first step for those interested in using wind energy is to find out what the average wind speed is on their property, which most companies will do for free.
Lachance said wind speed at the police department is about 14 miles per hour, where the average speed to be successful in harnessing wind is about 10 miles per hour.
Molly Lovell can be contacted at 282-4337, ext. 223.
The grant for wind turbine will help to promote the use of alternative energy but a 60 foot wind turbine is not high to get more wind power
Reply to this