Green Mountain Power Company (GMPC), the company that owns the 11 windmills found on a hillside in Searsburg, Vt. near state Route 8, periodically offers tours of its facility to the public. With a proposed plan to build similar windmills on the west slope of Brodie Mountain in Hancock, North Berkshire residents may be interested to see how this project has worked up in Vermont, and what they can expect if and when the towers are built locally.
The Searsburg windmills, collectively known as a “wind farm,†were completed early in 1997. At the time, it was the first such project taking place in the Northeast, and engineers and planners had to work out the bugs associated to operating such windmills in cold-weather climate. Earlier wind farms were built only in California and the Southwest.
Each of the 11 windmills is connected to a 550-kilowatt generator, enough to produce six megawatts of electricity, which can meet the electricity needs of about 2,000 households. This is the equivalent of 23,400 barrels of oil per year. This more expensive but renewable form of energy is attractive because the wind that propels it is free, and does not produce any pollution. Even noise pollution is minimal, as the grouping of windmills in Searsburg is eerily quiet and the propellers spin so casually it is hard to believe they are producing so much energy.
With current technology and scale, wind power generates electricity at a price of about six cents per kilowatt-hour, which is more than the four-cents-per-KwH produced by more traditional methods. However, engineers estimate that costs would decrease if more wind farms were built, allowing manufacturers of the turbines to save costs.
Before producing the wind farm, GMPC conducted several experiments, including building two windmills atop Mount Equinox, at an elevation of more than 3,800 feet. The windmills did not perform well, because the propellers kept getting jammed with ice. For the Searsburg project, the blades were coated with a slippery, black, Teflon-like material that absorbs heat, helping them to shed ice in the winter months. After initial problems, the wind farm has been running with little problems the past four years.
According to Dorothy “Dottie†Schnure, manager of communications at GMPC, public hard-hat tours are held periodically to inform residents of how this power works. The next tour is tentatively scheduled to take place Sunday, Sept. 23. People must call ahead; the number is (802) 244-7522, ask for Martha Staskus. The Pittsfield-based Center for Ecological Technology will be leading a group up for this same tour.
The windmills at Searsburg are comparable in size to those proposed in Hancock. They stretch 200 feet from tip to tip and weigh 119,700 pounds each. The towers at the base of each propeller are 132 feet tall themselves, reaching to the hub of the propeller. The three, 64-foot blades each describe an arc of 133 feet in circumference.
The Searsburg project, including research and development, had a total cost of $10.5 million, $3.5 million of which came from federal grants through the U.S. Department of Energy and the industry-financed Energy Power Research Institute.
Originally the site had been proposed for the Green Mountain National Forest, but because of fear that black bears in the Lamb Brook area, the spot was moved to leased private land off the forest.
The windmills operate at wind speeds of between 10 and 65 miles per hour. At higher speeds the rotor comes to a stop. At temperatures lower than minus 4 degrees F, a controller limits the amount of power to reduce stresses on the machine. Data from the site shows that wind gusts of over 70 m.p.h. are recorded periodically, and once or twice a year the gusts may reach 100 m.p.h. during a severe storm. The towers include auxiliary heaters to warm the gearbox and hydraulic system.
About 35 acres of forest were affected in building the 11 towers, which straddle the hillside in a long single-file line.
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Winter Storm Warning Issued for Berkshires
Another snowstorm is expected to move through the region overnight on Friday, bringing 5 to 8 inches of snow. This is updated from Thursday's winter weather advisory.
The National Weather Service in Albany, N.Y., has posted a winter storm warning for all of Berkshire County and parts of eastern New York State beginning Friday at 4 p.m. through Saturday at 1 p.m.
The region could see heavy to moderate snowfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour overnight, tapering off Saturday morning to flurries.
Drivers should exercise caution on Friday night and Saturday morning, as travel conditions may be hazardous.
Saturday night should be clear and calm, but warming temperatures means freezing rain Sunday night and rain through Monday with highs in the 40s. The forecast isn't much better through the week as temperatures dip back into the teens with New Year's Eve looking cloudy and frigid.
Many homeowners are showing their holiday spirit by decorating their houses. We asked for submissions so those in the community can check out these fanciful lights and decor when they're out.
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