Berkshire Wind Power Project

The Berkshire Wind Power Project is a wind farm on Brodie Mountain in Hancock, Massachusetts. Owned and operated by the Berkshire Wind Power Cooperative Corporation, it is the second largest wind farm in Massachusetts, with 10 GE 1.5 MW wind turbines and a total installed capacity of 15 MW. The Berkshire wind power project became fully operational in 2011, and provides enough electricity to power 6,000 homes annually.[3]

The Berkshire Wind Power Project
Country	United States
Location	Hancock, Massachusetts
Coordinates	42°34′45″N 73°16′26″W
Status	Operational
Construction began	September, 2009
Commission date	May, 2011
Construction cost	US $64.7 million
Owner(s)	Berkshire Wind Power Co-op
Wind farm
Type	Onshore
Hub height	262 feet (80 m)
Rotor diameter	252 feet (77 m)
Site area	75 acres
Site elevation	2,500 feet (760 m)
Power generation
Units operational	10
Make and model	GE Wind Energy: 1.5 MW
Nameplate capacity	15 MW
Capacity factor	40%
Annual net output	52,500 MWh
External links
Website	www.berkshirewindcoop.org
[1][2]

Project details

The project consists of 10 GE Wind Energy 1.5 MW wind turbines on Brodie Mountain in Hancock, Massachusetts. Each turbine produces 1.5 MW, the site has the capacity to produce 15 MW; this is enough energy to supply approximately 6,000 average homes in the region annually. The towers are 213 feet (65 m) tall, with 121 feet (37 m) blades. From base to vertically positioned blade tip, they will be approximately 334 feet (102 m). Wind speeds atop Brodie Mountain average 8 m/s (18 mph), one of the best inland wind sites in Massachusetts, making it a Class 6 resource on the American Wind Energy Scale of 1 to 7. The turbines begin generating energy at wind speeds as low as 8 mph (13 km/h), and produce the maximum power output when winds blow above 30 mph (48 km/h).[4] The maximum rotor speed is 20 rpm. The project was built with turbines manufactured at facilities all across the U.S. The power generated is delivered to the New England grid through the local utility.[1][5]

Reed & Reed was the EPC contractor for the project. Reed & Reed was responsible for the civil, foundation and electrical designs, Quality Control, Safety Management and all phases of construction.[6][7][8]

Environmental impact

Berkshire Wind Power Project offsets approximately 612,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year relative to conventional electricity generation. That is equivalent to the estimated annual emissions produced by consuming more than 1.17 million barrels of oil.[1][9]

Berkshire Wind Power Project

Economic impact

Approximately US $109,000 per year in annual payments in lieu of taxes are made to the Town of Hancock, changing with inflation, amounting to approximately US$2.1 million over the life of the agreement. In addition the project created 50 full-time jobs, through the use of 20 Massachusetts companies, and purchase many products and services locally.[1][10]

Berkshire Wind Power Cooperative Corporation

Berkshire Wind Power Cooperative Corporation is a non-profit entity created by 14 Massachusetts municipal utilities and the Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Company (MMWEC). In addition to MMWEC, members of the Cooperative include the consumer-owned, municipal utilities serving the communities of Ashburnham, Boylston, Groton, Holden, Hull, Ipswich, Marblehead, Paxton, Peabody, Shrewsbury, Sterling, Templeton, Wakefield, and West Boylston. Unlike other investor-owned utilities, in Massachusetts, municipal utilities are not required to comply with the Massachusetts renewable portfolio standard. Though each of these public power utilities have embraced the state's call for renewable energy development voluntarily because their customers support renewable energy development, these public entities took the initiative to form the Cooperative and complete the Berkshire Wind Power Project.[11]

Berkshire Wind Power Cooperative - Municipal Utility Members[1]

Municipal Department	Output kW	Percent Share of Output
Ashburnham Municipal Light Plant	686	4.573
Boylston Municipal Light Department	663	4.419
Groton Electric Light Department	830	5.533
Holden Municipal Light Department	1,041	6.938
Hull Municipal Lighting Plant	765	5.102
Ipswich Municipal Light Department	962	6.416
Marblehead Municipal Light Department	1,009	6.727
Paxton Municipal Light Department	632	4.212
Peabody Municipal Light Plant	2,727	18.180
Shrewsbury Electric & Cable Operations	1,908	12.718
Sterling Municipal Light Department	785	5.232
Templeton Municipal Light & Water Plant	823	5.484
Wakefield Municipal Gas & Light Department	1,363	9.091
West Boylston Municipal Lighting Plant	806	5.374

[1]

See also

• Wind power in Massachusetts
• Wind energy
• Wind turbines

References

1. "Berkshire Wind Power Facts" (PDF). May 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 20, 2013. Retrieved January 20, 2014.
2. "Project Facts". May 2011. Archived from the original on October 29, 2014. Retrieved January 20, 2014.
3. "Berkshire Wind Power Project". May 28, 2011. Retrieved January 20, 2014.
4. "1.5 - 77 Wind Turbine". 2014. Archived from the original on January 7, 2014. Retrieved January 20, 2014.
5. "GE 1.5 MW wind turbine" (PDF). March 2009. Retrieved January 15, 2014.
6. "Berkshire Wind Power Facts Berkshire Wind Power Facts" (PDF). Berkshirewindcoop.org. Berkshire Wind Power Cooperative Corporation.
7. "Built for the long term | Reed & Reed made its name building bridges, but now the Woolwich-based construction company sees its future in the wind". Mainebiz. Retrieved 2018-05-07.
8. "Berkshire Wind". Reed & Reed, Inc. | General Contractors & Wind Power Services. Retrieved 2018-05-07.
9. Patrick Donges (May 6, 2011). "Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick dedicates Berkshires wind farm". WAMC Northeast Public Radio. Retrieved January 20, 2014.
10. "Hancock to see PILOT funds from Berkshire Wind project". November 19, 2010. Archived from the original on February 1, 2014. Retrieved January 20, 2014.
11. "Who We Are". May 2011. Archived from the original on October 29, 2014. Retrieved January 20, 2014.

External links

• PPM Energy Homepage
• Wind Turbines Not a Threat to U.S. Bird Population, Says Study
• Berkshire Wind: A Public Power Project time-lapse film of the construction