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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.
State officials have announced a new project to install a 1.5 megawatt wind turbine on state land adjacent to the Massachusetts Turnpike’s Blandford Rest Area, about 20 miles west of Springfield.
The proposal comes after a series of tests completed by the University of Massachusetts Renewable Energy Research Laboratory concluded that the Hampden County location — the highest elevation on the Pike — is a suitable location for a single wind turbine.
As a result of the announcement, made today by the Massachusetts Secretaries of the Executive Office of Transportation (EOT) and the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA), the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to install wind power at the 68-acre site.
The site, according to the UMass study, has enough wind resources to support a 1.5 megawatt turbine, capable of providing sufficient energy for about 400 homes, according to an announcement from the State House.
The project would also help propel Governor Patrick’s public goal of establishing 2,000 megawatts of wind power in the Bay State by 2020.
When erected, the turbine would sell its power back to the Western Massachusetts Electric Co. or another retail electricity provider. Under terms of the RFP, the Turnpike Authority would provide the successful developer with a long-term lease on land adjacent to the Blandford Rest Area. Proposals are due June 30.
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