The three gigantic wind turbines that rose up from the Blackburn Industrial Park late this fall are Gloucester’s newest constructions, and the blades’ visibility from all corners of the city has shocked and delighted many residents and visitors.
Varian’s turbine is a 100-meter steel tower with a 100-meter rotor, which drives a 2.5-megawatt generator. The edifice will be the largest of its sort in New England once completed.
The second and third turbines were completed in December at Gloucester Engineering. Each one is about 400 feet long from the ground to the rotor’s tip, and it will generate over 10,260,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) each year. Gloucester taxpayers are estimated to save around $500,000 per year as a result of the metering agreement between Gloucester Engineering and the city.
Even the news shows are taking note – a report on the turbines was planned to air on Channel 2’s “Greater Boston” on Thursday evening (check out the Greater Boston website to watch it online).
The Cape Ann Beacon asked readers to share some of the places where they could see the turbines so we could get a sense of what people think about these new monuments.
“I can see all three from Essex Avenue just as you turn the curve at Bond Street,” Kathy Erkkila of the Gloucester Housing Authority said.
Cliff O’Neill, one of her coworkers, claimed that he could see all three turbines from Canoe Beach in Nahant.
“Whenever I drive down Essex Avenue towards the Boulevard, the three turbines cover the skyline at the top of the hill,” says Rosemary Riggs, who keeps track of the weather via the view of the turbines. They serve as a weather forecaster for me. If I can’t see them, it’s very cloudy; if they’re misty, it’s raining or about to rain; and if they’re moving, it’s a windy day. I suppose if they’re still there in the summer, everything will be good.”
“The turbines are readily visible across the marsh gazing over the Jones River and the Annisquam River,” Nick Holland said, “from Concord Street in West Gloucester as you pass the turnoff to Wingaersheek.”
Debe Holland, his wife, saw the turbines from afar: “Circling to the north, in order to land at Logan, the turbines were clearly visible from the plane!!”
The turbines can be seen from the tenth floor of Salem Hospital, according to a North Shore Medical Center staffer who resides in Gloucester.
Thelma Ryan of Beverly drives along the North Shore a lot and has compiled a list of areas where she has seen the turbines: Marblehead Light/Crocker Park, Plum Island, the Hampton Beach/Rye, N.H. area, Little Neck in Ipswich, and the Merrimack River mouth in Salisbury. “I’ll let you know if I see them from any other areas during my travels,” she pledges.
Tina Nickerson, a grandmother, notes that she and her 5-year-old granddaughter have had a lot of fun with the turbines.
“In early November, I picked up my granddaughter from her house in Bradford, and as we started up the 128 extension, I pointed out the Big ‘Windmill’ to her” (there was only one at that time). At the time, she didn’t seem really impressed. Nickerson stated, “We deposited her suitcase at my house in East Gloucester and were driving down Brightside Avenue in East Gloucester when I heard a loud shout coming from the rear.”
“Look ‘Mimi,’ the Big ‘Windmill!” said Sophia Grace Nickerson, her granddaughter.
Tina Nickerson remarked, “It was something I would never have noticed if I hadn’t had to keep my eyes on the road.” “Then we got on Eastern Avenue and headed for Rockport, and the voice from the backseat said, ‘Look “Mimi,” the Big Windmill!” as she pointed to our left. We proceeded to Good Harbor Shore after returning from Rockport, and as we walked along the beach, my granddaughter pointed to the Big ‘Windmill.'”
“When she came to visit for Christmas, she ran into the house and said, ‘Guess what there are now THREE “BIG WINDMILLS!” Nickerson remarked.
The turbines’ constant presence did not set well with everyone. “You can see the turbines from a variety of locations, both near and far away, such as crossing the Annisquam towards Gloucester, at Cape Ann Medical Center, at Gloucester Crossing, at Shaw’s, at Stop’n’Shop, at Dunkin’ Donuts, driving to and from Rockport, and unfortunately, out the side windows of my home,” writes Faye V. Whitfield, who lives near Cripple Cove in East Gloucester.
“As well,” she says. I’m curious whether our municipal authorities believe the wonderful people of Gloucester are incapable of counting. How did one turbine, which was to be placed discreetly, become two turbines, which were to be placed more boldly, and then three turbines, which were to be placed defiantly almost on the edge of the main road into East Gloucester and Rockport, their overwhelming size dwarfing the New England builtscape surrounding them? Such is the nature of economic advancement!” Whitfield penned an essay.
“Investigate how many birds are slain each day by existing units before you praise these turbines,” Judy Dott wrote. “An inordinate amount of taxpayer money is being squandered. “This is payola at its best.”
How much electricity is generated by wind turbines in the United Kingdom?
Offshore and onshore wind combined to generate 75,610 gigawatt hours (GWh) of power in the UK in 2020. This amount of energy would be sufficient to power 8.4 trillion LED light bulbs.
Since 2009, both offshore and onshore wind electricity generation have increased significantly.
In 2020, wind energy generated 24 percent of total electricity generation (including renewables and non-renewables), with offshore wind accounting for 13% and onshore wind accounting for 11%.
Energy Trends, published by the UK Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, contains information on energy generation.
Which county in the United Kingdom has the most wind turbines?
In 2020, the number of onshore wind turbines in the United Kingdom (UK) will be broken down by site. Out of all onshore wind farms in the United Kingdom, Clyde Wind Farm has the most wind turbines. The wind farm in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, has 152 turbines, 12 more than Whitelee, which came in second.
1 MW of wind power can power how many homes?
The average American home uses 893 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of power each month, according to the US Energy Information Administration. The average capacity of wind turbines that began commercial operations in 2020 is 2.75 megawatts, according to the US Wind Turbine Database (MW). That average turbine would generate over 843,000 kWh per month at a 42 percent capacity factor (the average among recently built wind turbines in the United States, according to the 2021 edition of the US Department of Energy’s Land-Based Wind Market Report), enough for more than 940 average US homes. To put it another way, the average wind turbine that went online in 2020 provides enough electricity to power a typical U.S. home for a month in just 46 minutes.
How many wind turbines are required to power a home?
However, the amount of electricity you can generate must be the deciding element. A tiny wind generator with a capacity of one kilowatt could be installed in a garden. An average yearly wind speed of nine miles per hour would generate more than 200 kilowatt hours of power, whereas an average annual wind speed of 14 miles per hour would generate more than 600 kilowatt hours. That sounds great until you consider that the average American household consumes around 10,000 kilowatt-hours per year. Even in an extremely windy region, 17 tiny wind turbines would be required to power a single home!
What is the time it takes for a wind turbine to pay for itself?
Environmental lifespan assessments of 2-megawatt wind turbines proposed for a big wind farm in the US Pacific Northwest were conducted by US academics. They conclude in the International Journal of Sustainable Manufacturing that a wind turbine with a 20-year working life will provide a net benefit within five to eight months of being put online in terms of cumulative energy payback, or the time it takes to produce the amount of energy required for production and installation.
How many households can a single windmill power in the United Kingdom?
When an eight megawatt offshore wind turbine is working at full capacity, it produces 8,000 kW (kilowatts). As a result, it would be able to power 16,000 households at 500 watts apiece. What is the total number of wind turbines in the United Kingdom? In the UK, there are currently 2,000 offshore wind turbines.
What is the location of the UK’s largest wind farm?
Whitelee, the UK’s largest onshore wind farm, is located on Eaglesham Moor in Scotland. The facility was built and is owned by Iberdrola subsidiary ScottishPower Renewables.
In January 2008, the wind farm produced its first electricity. Siemens and Alstom supplied 215 turbines for the project.
The Whitelee wind farm generates enough electricity to power about 300,000 Scottish households each year.
What percentage of the UK’s electricity is generated by wind?
EAGLESHAM, SCOTTISH REPUBLIC President Joe Biden’s administration is putting its weight behind wind energy, with plans to build large-scale wind farms along the entire US coastline. For inspiration, the administration might look at how the windiest country in Europe is revolutionizing its electricity grid.
The United Kingdom has embraced wind power in its hunt for alternative energy sources. According to government statistics, wind power generated up to 24 percent of the country’s electricity in 2020, enough to power 18.5 million homes.
How much electricity is generated by wind turbines?
In 2021, hydropower plants generated roughly 6.3 percent of overall electricity generation in the United States and 31.5 percent of renewable energy generation.
1 Hydropower plants generate electricity by spinning a turbine attached to a generator with the help of flowing water.
In 2021, wind energy accounted for around 9.2% of total electricity generation in the United States and about 46% of renewable energy generation. Wind turbines transform the energy generated by the wind into electricity.
In 2021, biomass accounted for around 1.3 percent of overall power generation in the United States and about 6.7 percent of renewable energy generation. Biomass can be used directly in steam generators, gas turbines, or internal combustion engine generators, or it can be converted to a gas that can be burned in steam generators, gas turbines, or internal combustion engine generators.
In 2021, solar energy generated roughly 2.8 percent of total U.S. electricity and 13.5 percent of all renewable energy generation. The two primary forms of solar electricity generation technologies are photovoltaic (PV) and sun-thermal power. In a photovoltaic cell, PV conversion generates electricity directly from sunlight. Steam turbines are used to generate energy in most solar-thermal power systems.
In 2021, geothermal power plants generated around 0.4 percent of total electricity generation in the United States and about 2.0 percent of renewable energy generation. Steam turbines are used to generate electricity in geothermal power stations.
How long does a wind turbine last?
A modern wind turbine of acceptable quality will typically last 20 years, however this can be extended to 25 years or beyond depending on environmental circumstances and proper maintenance practices. However, as the structure ages, the maintenance expenditures will rise.