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MHT's Efrain Viscarolasaga: Preparing the smart grid for more power
MHT reporter Efrain Viscarolasaga on NECN: Green tech brings jobs back to Mass.
The Rhode Island Renewable Energy Fund, now under the management of the Rhode Island Economic Development Corp., has awarded $30,000 to the town of Jamestown to conduct a wind power feasibility study to determine the possibility of erecting and operating wind turbines in that town.
The award is the first from the fund since management was transferred from the Office of Energy Resources at the end of the 2008 legislative session. The grant also represents part of the $1 million of the fund allocated to municipal projects in the state. The town of Jamestown will also match the grant with an investment of $25,000.
The study will include identifying and preliminarily ranking the top five turbine sites in the town, as identified by the Wind Energy Committee.
As the new manager of the fund, the Rhode Island Economic Development Corp., is responsible for distributing the Renewable Energy Fund among projects and companies in the state with the goal of building the clean energy sector and creating new “green jobs.” The fund has a current balance of $4.1 million, of which $3.2 million is committed to a Special Area Management Plan (SAMP) being conducted by the University of Rhode Island and the Coastal Resources Management Council in response to a proposal for an offshore wind farm in the state.
In addition to the municipal allocations, the fund has also designated up to $200,000 for projects related to affordable housing and up to $200,000 for pre-consultant and technical feasibility studies.
Jamestown is an island community situated in Narraganset Bay, boasting a population of about 5,000, according to a census in 2000. It is also home to one of the region’s oldest windmills, erected in 1787 to grind corn and in operation until 1895. The structure of the Jamestown Wind Mill still stands and is managed by the Jamestown Historical Society.
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