Not enough blustery days in South Berwick: Low wind speed ends plans for small wind farm
SOUTH BERWICK, Maine — Plans for a commercial wind farm off Route 236 have been grounded.
Ra Power Solutions, a Cape Neddick-based renewable energy company, recently completed a study indicating wind speeds are insufficient to power a set of turbines. The company was exploring building a small-scale “niche” wind farm consisting of up to 300-foot high turbines on a ridge across from Marshwood High School.
Company President Rick Benoit said wind speeds need to average at least 6.5 meters per second at 80 meters in the air. Data gathered indicated speeds were in the low 5 meters per second range.
“The winds, while decent, were not sufficiently strong to prompt us to pursue that potential wind farm site at this time,” Benoit said in an e-mail message. “As wind farm technology changes, we may be able to return to that site for more research, but at this time, we have stopped the wind study and are exploring other locations in midcoast Maine and in Aroostook county.”
The company began the study in October 2008. It was ended early in midspring 2009 because the fastest winds are typically in the winter and spring, and the study showed the average speeds were under the minimum threshold, Benoit said.
The canceled plans were a blow to residents’ and town officials’ desire to have non-box store development come to town. The wind farm would have been a multimillion dollar project generating enough power for 300-500 homes, Benoit said.
By Jason Claffey
24 June 2009
Tags: Wind power, Wind energy
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