Country United States Status Operational Type Onshore Construction cost 64.7 million USD | Location Hancock, Massachusetts Commission date May, 2011 Construction began September 2009 Units operational 10 | |
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Owner(s) Berkshire Wind Power Co-op | ||
The Berkshire Wind Power Project is a wind farm on Brodie Mountain in Hancock, Massachusetts. Owned and operated by the Berkshire Wind Power Cooperative Corporation, it is the second largest wind farm in Massachusetts, with 10 GE 1.5 MW wind turbines and a total installed capacity of 15 MW. The Berkshire wind power project became fully operational in 2011, and provides enough electricity to power 6,000 homes annually.
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Project details
The project consists of 10 GE Wind Energy 1.5 MW wind turbines on Brodie Mountain in Hancock, Massachusetts. Each turbine produces 1.5 MW, the site has the capacity to produce 15 MW; this is enough energy to supply approximately 6,000 average homes in the region annually. The towers are 213 feet (65 m) tall, with 121 feet (37 m) blades. From base to vertically positioned blade tip, they will be approximately 334 feet (102 m). Wind speeds atop Brodie Mountain average 8 m/s (18 mph), one of the best inland wind sites in Massachusetts, making it a Class 6 resource on the American Wind Energy Scale of 1 to 7. The turbines begin generating energy at wind speeds as low as 8 mph (13 km/h), and produce the maximum power output when winds blow above 30 mph (48 km/h). The maximum rotor speed is 20 rpm. The project was built with turbines manufactured at facilities all across the U.S. The power generated is delivered to the New England grid through the local utility.
Environmental impact
Berkshire Wind Power Project offsets approximately 612,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year relative to conventional electricity generation. That’s equivalent to the estimated annual emissions produced by consuming more than 1.17 million barrels of oil.
Economic impact
Approximately US $109,000 per year in annual payments in lieu of taxes are made to the Town of Hancock, changing with inflation, amounting to approximately US $2.1 million over the life of the agreement. In addition the project created 50 full-time jobs, through the use of 20 Massachusetts companies, and purchase many products and services locally.
Berkshire Wind Power Cooperative Corporation
Berkshire Wind Power Cooperative Corporation is a non-profit entity created by 14 Massachusetts municipal utilities and the Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Company (MMWEC). In addition to MMWEC, members of the Cooperative include the consumer-owned, municipal utilities serving the communities of Ashburnham, Boylston, Groton, Holden, Hull, Ipswich, Marblehead, Paxton, Peabody, Shrewsbury, Sterling, Templeton, Wakefield, and West Boylston. Unlike other utilities, municipal utilities are not required to the Massachusetts renewable portfolio standard, though Each of these public power utilities have embraced the state's call for renewable energy development voluntarily because their customers support renewable energy development, these public entities took the initiative to form the Cooperative and complete the Berkshire Wind Power Project.