Hoosac Wind Power Project

Last updated
Hoosac Wind Power Project
Mars Hill Wind Farm 673194644 24fe0eb3f8 b.jpg
Hoosac Wind Power Project
CountryUnited States
Location Berkshire County, Massachusetts
Coordinates 42°43′47″N73°1′25″W / 42.72972°N 73.02361°W / 42.72972; -73.02361
StatusOperational
Construction beganAugust, 2011
Commission date December, 2012
Construction costUS$90 million
Owner(s) Iberdola Renewables
Wind farm
Type Onshore
Hub height213 feet (65 m)
Rotor diameter252 feet (77 m)
Site area75 acres
Site elevation2,700 feet (820 m)
Power generation
Units operational19
Make and model GE Wind Energy: 1.5 MW
Nameplate capacity 28.5 MW
Annual net output 7,000 MWh
External links
Website iberdrolarenewables.us/cs_hoosac.html
[ edit on Wikidata]

[1] [2]

Hoosac Wind Power Project is a wind farm on Crum Hill in Monroe, Massachusetts and on Bakke Mountain in Florida, Massachusetts. Owned and operated by Iberdrola Renewables, it is the largest wind farm in Massachusetts, with 19 GE 1.5 MW wind turbines and a total installed capacity of 28.5 MW. The Hoosac Wind power project became fully operational in 2012 and provides enough electricity to power 10,000 homes annually. [3]

Contents

History

In 1980, during a Bakke Mountain hike, the Bakke family noticed the region was quite breezy. The sparse tree growth was misshapen and deformed by the strong winds. Hans Bakke began to consider the possibility of wind energy at the site. EnXco, the wind-energy company and partner of the French energy conglomerate Électricité de France, approached the Bakke family to propose building a wind farm, together they created Hoosac Wind LLC. In November 2004, the State of Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection approved the proposed project. However, thorny issues plague the project including the presence of potentially vulnerable species of goldenrod in the vicinity of the proposed site, as well as the asserted danger to the migratory paths of birds and bats. Hoosac Wind achieved tentative approval from both Florida and Monroe after taking considerable amounts of wind-speed and direction data, along with avian, archeological, geological, and wildlife studies which were conducted as well. In January 2006, Hoosac Wind LLC was purchased by the British company PPM Energy for an estimated US$40 million, PPM was subsequently absorbed by Iberdrola Renewables. [4] Hoosac Wind LLC was renamed New England Wind LLC. Green Berkshires, an environmental organization opposed to wind energy projects in the Berkshire mountain range, had filed an appeal rejected by the State of Massachusetts Division of Administrative Law Appeals. As of May, 2008, the project was still under review post environmental standards challenges. [5] The project began construction in early 2012 and was completed in December 2012. [6]

Project details

The project consists of 19 GE Wind Energy 1.5 MW wind turbines and is divided among two separate sites – nine turbines on Crum Hill in Monroe, and ten on Bakke Mountain in Florida, Massachusetts. Each turbine produces 1.5 MW, the site has a capacity to produce 28.5 MW; this is enough energy to supply approximately 10,000 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). 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 National Grid. [7]

Environmental impact

The Hoosac Wind Power Project offsets approximately 100 million pounds of carbon dioxide per year relative to conventional electricity generation. That is equivalent to the estimated annual emissions produced by 9,400 cars or consuming more than 112,000 barrels of oil. [8]

Economic impact

Approximately US$257,000 in annual payments in lieu of taxes are made to the host towns (US$135,000 to Florida, $122,000 to Monroe), escalating with inflation, amounting to approximately US$6.8 million over the life of the agreement. In addition, the towns host turbines on town-owned land, which will generate approximately US$3 million in revenue over the life of the project. The project created 3 permanent jobs, 140 temporary construction jobs at peak, and purchase many products and services locally. To date, the project has generated 70,098 local labor hours and nearly US$3.8 million in local spending. [9]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iberdrola</span> Spanish multinational electric utility company

Iberdrola, S.A. is a Spanish multinational electric utility company based in Bilbao, Spain. It has around 40,000 employees and serves around 30 million customers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wind power in Iowa</span> Electricity from wind in one U.S. state

Making up over 62% of the state's generated electricity in 2022, wind power is the largest source of electricity generation in Iowa. In 2020, over 34 billion kWh of electrical energy was generated by wind power. As of 2022, Iowa has over 12,200 megawatts (MW) of installed capacity with over 6,000 wind turbines, ranking second and third in the nation below Texas respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wind power in Oregon</span> Electricity from wind in one U.S. state

The U.S. state of Oregon has large wind energy resources. Many projects have been completed, most of them in rural Eastern Oregon and near the Columbia River Gorge. Wind power accounted for 12.1% of the electricity generated in Oregon in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whitelee Wind Farm</span> Wind farm in East Ayrshire, Scotland

Whitelee Wind Farm is a windfarm on the Eaglesham moor in Scotland. The main visitor centre is located in East Renfrewshire, but the majority of turbines are located in East Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire. It is the largest on-shore wind farm in the United Kingdom with 215 Siemens and Alstom wind turbines and a total capacity of 539 megawatts (MW), with the average of 2.5 MW per turbine. Whitelee was developed and is operated by ScottishPower Renewables, which is part of the Spanish company Iberdrola.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fowler Ridge Wind Farm</span> Wind farm in Indiana, USA

The Fowler Ridge Wind Farm is a wind farm in Benton County, Indiana, near the city of Fowler, IN about 30 miles (48 km) northwest of Lafayette and 90 miles (140 km) northwest of Indianapolis. Fowler Ridge was originally developed in 2005 and 2006 by Orion Energy, LLC and Vision Energy, LLC and later sold in 2007 to BP and Dominion Resources. The project was constructed beginning in 2008 in two phases and has a nameplate capacity of 600 MW.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shiloh wind power plant</span>

The Shiloh wind power plant is a wind farm located in the Montezuma Hills of Solano County, California, USA, close to Bird's Landing and Collinsville, 40 miles (64 km) northeast of San Francisco. It has a nameplate capacity of 505 megawatts (MW) of power and was built in four stages between 2005 and 2012. Several additional projects are also located in the Montezuma.

There are a number of wind power projects in the state of Maine, totaling more than 900 megawatts (MW) in capacity. In 2020 they were responsible for 24% of in-state electricity production. In 2019, Maine had more wind capacity than the other five New England states combined, at 923 MW.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wind power in Wyoming</span> Electricity from wind in U.S. state

Wyoming has one of the highest wind power potentials of any state in the United States. In 2019, Wyoming had wind powered electricity generating capacity of 1,589 MW, which produced 9.85% of its electric generation, with an additional 3,753 MW under construction. However, the wind generation in that year was Wyoming's third-lowest in the 2010s. By 2020, wind capacity increased to 2738 MW and 8448 gigawatt-hours of electricity were produced from wind in 2021, more than double 2019 production. Additional wind capacity and needed transmission lines are under construction or planned, despite political headwinds from Wyoming's strong coal and oil sectors.

New York has 2,192 MW of installed wind power capacity as of 2022. Most of New York's wind power is located in upstate New York as onshore wind farms. New York has set a goal of developing 9,000 MW of offshore installed wind power capacity by 2035 that will power an estimated 6 million homes. As of October 2022, New York has five offshore wind farms in development with approximately 4,300 MW installed capacity.

The Capricorn Ridge Wind Farm is located in Sterling and Coke counties, Texas. The wind farm does not create any air and water pollution to the surrounding counties. It is a 662.5 MW wind farm, with 342 GE 1.5 MW wind turbines and 65 2.3 MW Siemens turbines that are capable of generating enough electricity for more than 220,000 homes. With all four phases combined, there should be over 400 turbines after the project commissioned in 2007. The wind farm is built, owned and operated by a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources, the U.S.' largest wind energy generator who is also known for generating electricity using natural gas, oil solar, wind and nuclear. This company, together with its subsidiaries owns, operates, develops, constructs and manages electricity and energy generating facilities in not only the U.S. but also in Canada and Spain. The project is part owned by San Antonio-based Sullivan Trillian Fund Private Equity. Its property Offtaker is Energy Market- ERCOT.

The 605.2 megawatt (MW) Peñascal Wind Farm project is located south of Baffin Bay in Kenedy County, Texas and was constructed in three phases by Iberdrola and Mortenson Construction. It became Iberdrola's largest renewable energy facility in the world after completion of the second phase in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Casselman Wind Power Project</span> Wind farm in Pennsylvania, US

The Casselman Wind Power Project is a wind farm in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, with 23 GE 1.5 MW Wind Turbines that began commercial operation in 2007. The wind farm has a combined total nameplate capacity of 34.5 megawatts, but actually produces about 90,666 megawatt-hours of electricity annually. The wind farm was developed by PPM Energy and constructed by Iberdrola, based in Spain. Power produced at the wind farm is distributed by First Energy.

The Dry Lake Wind Power Project in Navajo County is the first utility-scale wind farm in the U.S. state of Arizona. Starting in 2009, it was constructed in two phases having a total generating capacity of 128.1 megawatts (MW), and is selling the electricity to the Salt River Power District (SRP).

In 2016, Arizona had 268 megawatts (MW) of wind powered electricity generating capacity, producing 0.5% of in-state generated electricity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wind power in Massachusetts</span> Electricity from wind in one U.S. state

The U.S. state of Massachusetts has vast wind energy resources offshore, as well as significant resources onshore. The 2016 update to the states's Clean Energy and Climate Plan had a goal of reducing 1990 baseline greenhouse gas emissions levels by 25% by 2020. Current goals include installing 3,500 megawatts (MW) of offshore wind power in the state by 2035. However, as of Q4 2021 the state had only 120 MW of wind powered electricity generating capacity, responsible for generating 0.9% of in-state electricity production. The state has awarded contracts to two offshore projects, the 800 MW Vineyard Wind project and 804 MW Mayflower Wind project. Construction began on the Vineyard Wind 1 project on November 18, 2021, after a long fight for approval. Commonwealth Wind was selected for development in 2021, but the developer has attempted to cancel the project due to increased costs. There are eight projects planned for off the southern coast of Massachusetts, though some will deliver power to Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West of Duddon Sands Wind Farm</span>

West of Duddon Sands Wind Farm (WoDS), occasionally also known as West Duddon Wind Farm is an offshore wind farm located 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) south west of Walney Island off the coast of Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria, in the Irish Sea, England. It was developed by Scottish Power and Ørsted A/S.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Infigen Energy</span>

Infigen Energy (Infigen), operating under this name since 29 April 2009, is a developer, owner and operator of renewable energy generation assets in Australia. Infigen's wind farm portfolio has an installed capacity of 557 MW. Most of Infigen's assets generate electricity from renewable sources and are eligible to sell Large-scale Generation Certificates (LGCs) under the mandatory Renewable Energy Target scheme, which operates in Australia under the Renewable Energy (Electricity) Act 2000. Since 2020, Infigen Energy has been a subsidiary of Iberdrola.

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 12 GE 1.5 MW wind turbines and a total installed capacity of 19.6 MW. The Berkshire wind power project became fully operational in 2011, and provides enough electricity to power 7,800 homes annually.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wind power in Tennessee</span> Electricity from wind in one U.S. state

Wind power in Tennessee has most potential in East Tennessee along the North Carolina border. The state has not passed renewable portfolio standard legislation and there is just one utility-scale wind farm with 15 operating turbines and previously 3 test turbines. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), based in Knoxville, imports wind-generated electricity into its service area which includes Tennessee. US Senator Lamar Alexander from Tennessee is an outspoken critic of wind power.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vineyard Wind</span> Offshore wind farm under construction off Massachusetts, U.S.

Vineyard Wind 1 is an offshore wind farm under construction in U.S. federal waters in the Atlantic Ocean in Bureau of Ocean Energy Management-designated Lease Area OCS-A 0520, about 13 nautical miles south of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, Massachusetts. The array is designed to include 62 Haliade-X wind turbines manufactured by GE Offshore Wind with a nameplate capacity of 804 MW combined, equivalent to the annual power use of 400,000 homes. The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities approved the project in 2019. Construction began on November 18, 2021. In October 2023, the first turbine was installed. Power from the first turbine started flowing into the ISO New England grid on January 2, 2024. Construction is expected to be complete by the end of 2024.

References

  1. ↑ "Hoosac Wind Project to face final hurdle". August 24, 2010. Retrieved January 15, 2014.
  2. ↑ "Hoosac Wind turbines to fire up soon". September 24, 2012. Retrieved January 15, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Hoosac Wind Project Nears Completion". September 10, 2012. Retrieved January 15, 2014.
  4. ↑ PPM Energy is Now Iberdrola Renewables [ dead link ] (May 1, 2008) Reuters.
  5. ↑ Stafford, Scott. "Florida, Monroe wind turbine project slows" Archived 2008-07-04 at the Wayback Machine (May 5, 2008) Berkshire Eagle.
  6. ↑ "Hoosac fact sheet" (PDF). December 3, 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 18, 2013. Retrieved January 15, 2014.
  7. ↑ "GE 1.5 MW wind turbine" (PDF). March 2009. Retrieved January 15, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Hoosac fact sheet" (PDF). December 3, 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 18, 2013. Retrieved January 15, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Hoosac Wind". December 3, 2012. Retrieved January 15, 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.