December 11, 2012
New Hampshire

Hampton station will not benefit from wind turbine

By Patrick Cronin | December 11, 2012 | www.seacoastonline.com

HAMPTON – It turns out a proposal to erect a 4G cell tower and wind turbine near the police station at Hampton Beach will not provide the town with any green energy as originally advertised, according to the chairman of the town’s energy committee.

Dick Derosisers told the committee last week the proposed wind turbine will only generate enough power to run the cell tower.

Nevertheless, the committee will discuss the proposal by Power Resource Management owner Jim George at its next meeting in January.

In October, George presented the idea of constructing a 50- to 100-foot structure to be located on or near the police station on Brown Avenue.

George pitched the cell tower and wind turbine by saying it would provide much-needed cell coverage to the Hampton Beach area and would also generate green energy and money for the town.

Energy committee officials had hoped the wind power would offset electricity costs for the Police Department.

But Derosisers told the committee last week that additional information provided by the company showed that the town would not benefit at all from the wind turbine.

The juice generated, he said, would only be enough to power the cell tower.

“The proposal is to install a 2.4-kilowatt turbine which would essentially provide enough power to supply the Christmas tree I just put up (in my home),” Derosisers said.

Derosisers said the committee will hear more information about the proposal at its next meeting but it appears the only benefit to the town would be financial.

George is seeking to lease a 40-by-40 or 60-by-60-foot area from the town. His company would generate revenue by bringing in cellular phone companies to rent space from it.

The town, he said, would benefit financially from him leasing the space.

Derosisers said he doesn’t know if the proposal will gain traction without the energy component. “There is really no room down there (at the police station) unless you take parking away,” Derosisers.

Selectman Richard Nichols previously said it would be important for George to quantify the benefit to the town in realistic terms before selectmen even consider if the project is doable.

“We need an understanding it would be worthwhile for the town,” Nichols said.

“If someone said the benefit to the town would just be $25,000 a year then I don’t think it would fly. If it was $2 million people would take it seriously. I picked a big and little number and I’m not sure where in the middle it becomes interesting for me.”

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/12/11/hampton-station-will-not-benefit-from-wind-turbine/