Wind turbine set for turnpike

State environmental and transportation officials are looking to install a wind turbine on a 68-acre site adjacent to the Blandford rest area, about 20 miles west of Springfield. The turbine, which would be paid for by the developer selected for the project, is part of a "Greening the Turnpike" initiative to address Governor Deval L. Patrick's goal to make state agencies more energy efficient and environmentally friendly.

"This is a great example of how state agencies can work together to achieve our common goals," Patrick said in an e-mail to the Globe. "This wind energy project is good for the environment, and it will help create jobs within our clean energy economy."

The Mass. Pike turbine also would move the state closer to Patrick's goal of having 2,000 megawatts of wind capacity installed in Massachusetts by 2020. Currently, the state has under 7 megawatts of installed capacity.

Officials picked the Blandford site because it is the windiest spot along the turnpike. The area gets enough wind to accommodate a 1.5 megawatt turbine, according to officials. A turbine of that size could produce enough electricity to power roughly 400 households. That power could be sold to the Western Massachusetts Electric Co. or another retail electricity provider.

"It will be something that motorists will be able to see and see that the state government is moving forward to put renewable energy into the mainstream," said Ian Bowles, secretary of the state's Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, which has been working with the Turnpike Authority and others on the project. Developers interested in bidding have until June 30 to do so.

The winning bidder, officials said, would sign a long-term lease on land adjacent to the rest area - making the turbine a source of modest revenue for the Turnpike Authority.

"Our transportation system should be acting responsibly to promote clean energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions wherever possible," Transportation Secretary James Aloisi said in an e-mail.

In Blandford, meanwhile, community concern that a giant turbine could be an eyesore seems low.

"We're supportive because we understand the requirement to move away from fossil fuel and become less reliant on all types of energy," said Robert Nichols, chairman of the Blandford Green Community Committee. Nichols, who is running for a seat on Blandford's Board of Selectmen, sees the turbine as a project that could bring construction jobs and other benefits to the town.

Erin Ailworth can be reached at eailworth@globe.com.