Wind power is making waves all over the world as an alternative to energy sources such as oil, gas, and coal. In Denmark, 20 percent of the country's electricity is generated by wind turbines. Texas leads the way in the United States, producing 2 percent of the state's electricity needs with wind power, according to the American Wind Energy Association.
Here in New England, the city of Hull erected its first wind turbine in 2001 and another in 2006, and the ongoing Berkshire Wind Project is planning to put 10 turbines on Brodie Mountain, near Williamstown, by 2010. If approved, the controversial Cape Wind Energy Project will build a 130-turbine wind farm off Nantucket that could provide 80 percent of the Cape and Islands' electricity, according to Cape Wind Associates president Jim Gordon.
The latest local city to take its alternative energy commitment to the next level is Ipswich (also part of the Berkshire project). At a town meeting in May, residents will vote on building a $4.2 million 260-foot wind turbine, which would provide 2 percent of the town's electricity, according to Ipswich director of utilities Tim Henry.
Helping to educate the town's 14,000 residents about wind power is ICARE: Ipswich Citizens Advocating Renewable Energy. The group started in 2005 with about a dozen members, says chair Jason Wertz, and now has about 100 people on its e-mail list. Part of its work is devoted to researching the financial and environmental benefits of the turbine, which will reduce electric bills and cut down on carbon emissions. On Saturday, ICARE plans to take about 20 residents and Ipswich officials to Hull to observe a working turbine.
"People are concerned about the effects of global warming on our local rivers, marshes, and community," Wertz says. "A wind turbine in Ipswich represents a small positive step toward clean, affordable energy production."
For more information about ICARE, visit ipswichrenewableenergy.org.
[Harriet Blake]
Green Tips: Send tips and ideas to hlblake@aol.com.
