Funding Moves Forward for Wind Turbine

Council Approves $600,000 Loan to Construct Wind Mill

The School Committee approved plans for wind turbine similar to this one at the McGlynn School. The wind turbine pictured at left belongs to the IBEW Local 103 in Dorchester. Courtesy photo.

– Allison Goldsberry

After three years of planning, Medford’s first wind turbine will be constructed at the McGlynn School sometime this fall.

The City Council recently approved a $600,000 loan order for the city to start construction of the turbine.

The turbine will stand 131 feet tall with 33-foot blades that will spin around 12 miles per hour. The project is expected to generate 170,000 Kilowatt hours per year, or about 10% of the school’s electricity. That’s a savings of $25,000 to the city and an estimated 76 tons of carbon dioxide to the environment.

Mayor Michael McGlynn, speaking at a School Committee meeting last fall, said he supports the project because it is environmentally-sound, saves tax-payers money, and gives students the opportunity to learn about renewable energy sources.

“This is a very exciting project,” said McGlynn.

According to Medford Environmental Agent Patty Barry, “SMARTVIEW” computer software will collect data from the wind turbine so students can see exactly how much electricity it’s generating.

The turbine will be located behind the McGlynn School, about 150 feet from the playground and 200 feet from the river. According to project consultant Sustainable Energy Development, Inc. the turbine will be no louder than a normal conversation even if it reaches speeds of thirty miles per hour.

Medford has received $250,000 from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative and is hoping to cover the rest of the cost of the project with public and private grants. The total project cost is $634,155 with interest on the loan.

Barry said the maintenance costs of the turbine will also be covered by grants, such as the Clean Energy Choice Grant the city receives every year.

Naming rights are still available to help cover the cost of the project- interested parties should contact Barry.

More…

An overview of the project from the Medford Clean Energy Committee