Should test tower have been erected for wind turbine project?

Questions about wind turbine process surface following letter from state office of energy resources

BARRINGTON — A letter from the Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources has created a stir in the debate over whether the town should build a wind turbine on Legion Way.

The letter’s author, Andrew Dzykewicz, the commissioner of the office on energy resources, wrote that a “well-executed feasibility study typically will include a year’s worth of data gathering using a meteorological tower erected on-site for that purpose.” The letter was addressed to Rep. Susan Story, who recently forwarded the information to some other town officials.

The Barrington Town Council decided not to install a test tower at Legion Way or at Barrington High School, which was the first location selected for the wind turbine. As part of the Barrington Exploratory Wind Power Committee’s final report to the council in June 2007, members recommended a meteorological tower be installed and data gathered.

In an interview last week, Mr. Dzykewicz said the installation of a test tower is “crucially important” to wind turbine projects and added that “there’s a reason you put these up. Not very many people will rely exclusively on wind map data to see if the project is financially viable.”

Barrington Town Council President Jeff Brenner defended the council’s decision not to install a test tower.

“We weren’t sure where the site was going to be,” Mr. Brenner said. “Frankly I’m glad we didn’t put it up at the high school because we have since switched sites and it would have wasted taxpayers’ money.”

Mr. Brenner said he agreed with Mr. Dzykewicz in that the installation of a test tower is best practice. He added that the council could still decide to call for a meteorological tower in the future.

“I understand the point, and that might be something we end up doing,” said Mr. Brenner, a Democrat running for re-election. “That’s something that could happen.”

Council member Jamie Schwartz, who recently voiced concerns with the project, said members of the Committee for Renewable Energy for Barrington (CREB) have advised the council that wind maps offer reliable information.

“The accusation that since the exploratory committee said a wind study must be done, then the council has irresponsibly ignored its own advisory committee is flimsy,” Mr. Schwartz wrote in a recent e-mail. “Yes, the exploratory committee recommended it, but the subsequently commissioned CREB had an alternate opinion. So we have to assess which recommendation to go with. We did not embark on this process with the same fund of knowledge that has evolved.”

Fellow councilor June Speakman took a different stance on the subject.

“It has long been my position that we should do that, especially because wind is marginal in Barrington” she said, referring to installing a test tower. “I’ve never been comfortable with the alternative.”

Ms. Speakman said she was going to wait and see if the topic was covered in the final CREB recommendation, which became public Friday afternoon. She said that timing may have played a role in some of the process — the town was awarded an interest-free loan from the IRS for this project; the loan includes a Dec. 31 deadline to have a deal signed with a contractor.

“There’s a time constraint because of the bond, but I’m willing to let that pass,” she said. “This needs to be good for the town.”

Angry words

Rep. Story, a Republican, said the town has erred in its decision not to erect a test tower at the Legion Way location and instead to rely upon wind data maps.

Rep. Story lives in the Broadview Drive neighborhood, which abuts Brickyard Pond and is located between 1,000 and 2,000 feet away from the Legion Way site.

“I’m saying don’t put it up without putting up a test tower,” Rep. Story said. “They ignored the recommendation of the exploratory wind power committee and they went after the no interest loan. Everybody I talk to feels the same way… the council has ignored their own committee’s advice.”

Mark Gillooly, a Republican candidate for town council, agreed with Rep. Story.

“We don’t know if it’s going to be financially feasible,” he said. “Why not invest the $10,000 or $20,000 up front for the tower? This town council has turned a deaf ear to the town’s concerns.”

Mr. Dzykewicz said grant money from the state is available to offset costs for installing a “met” tower. He added that met towers were used at numerous other sites for research purposes, including Portsmouth, Bristol and at the University of Rhode Island. He also wrote in his letter that a sound feasibility study by a professional third-party “is advisable.”

According to the CREB recommendation, information from detailed wind maps — developed by the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund, Massachusetts Technology Collaborative’s Renewable Energy Trust and Northeast Utilities — has proven to “accurately predict the wind.” These maps reportedly show that wind speeds average 13.4 miles per hour at Legion Way and are “more than adequate to return good economic benefits.” The CREB recommendation states that cumulative savings over a 20-year period could range anywhere from $3.9 million to $6.3 million.

While most officials are quick to thank CREB members for their efforts in researching this project and preparing a final recommendation, some wonder if the town council placed too much of work in the hands of the volunteer committee.

“Absolutely, I think they are leaning too heavily on CREB,” Mr. Gillooly said.

June Speakman, a Democrat councilor running for re-election, said she is aware of the extensive work CREB members have done.

“Should we be asking a volunteer committee to do all this?” she said. “This raises questions about the process.”

Some officials point to the inclusion of Henry DuPont, a consultant the town hired earlier in the process who helped write the application for the interest-free IRS loan. Skeptics say Mr. DuPont, who works for a wind turbine company, could not be viewed as an objective third-party.

Meanwhile, Ms. Speakman said she still has some reservations about whether this project should rely on wind map data information rather than wind speeds recorded from a “met” tower.

“I would feel much better with hard data,” she said.

By Josh Bickford

EastBayRI.com ^[1]

7 October 2008

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