PEDC Sustainable Energy Committee

Welcome to the Portsmouth Wind Power Page. The authoritative source of information on wind power initiatives in Portsmouth.

The Portsmouth Economic Development Committee (PEDC) Sustainable Energy Subcommittee has been investigating the potential use of wind power to provide for some of the Town’s energy needs for over three years. The wind turbine at the Portsmouth Abbey is providing a real tangible example of a wind turbine installation. Not only does it provide us the “touch, feel and sounds” of a turbine installation, it also provides real data on the economic value of a turbine. Over the past year the turbine has returned more on its investment than predicted. Even with this concrete data, we needed to make sure that erecting a similar system on Town land would also be an economic engine that would add to the Town’s treasury.

WIND TURBINE GENERATOR CONTRACT SIGNED.

On April 11, 2008, Dennis Canario, Portsmouth Town Council President and Alex Pichs, Wind-Smart Program Manager signed a $2.918 Million deal to procure and install a 1.5 Megawatt Wind Turbine Generator on the Portsmouth High School grounds. The wind turbine generator, expected to be in operation late in 2008, will supply much of the electrical power needs of the school and, at times, generate additional electrical power that will be sold back to the power company. Wind-Smart will use five Rhode Island businesses as subcontractors to perform the majority of the construction work. ( ... SEE MORE...).

WIND TURBINE GENERATOR WINS COUNCIL APPROVAL.
WIND SMART, LLC SELECTED AS CONTRACTOR OF CHOICE.

On March 10, 2008, The Portsmouth Town Council approved the awarding of a contract of up to $3 Million and an Operation and Maintenance Contract for $25,000 per year (in 2008 Dollars adjusted annually with the Consumer Price Index) for the post-warranty years (years 6 and beyond) to Wind Smart, LLC. ( ... SEE MORE...).

WIND POWER BALLOT REFERENDUM - Passes with 60% of the Vote on Nov 6

The voters of Portsmouth approved the referendum question that authorized the Town to obligate up to $3 Million to construct a wind turbine at either the High School and/or Middle School. The Town has secured $2.6 million in zero interest bonds to be used, specifically, for the wind project. The balance of the cost of the turbine (estimated to be $400K for a total $3 million project cost) will be using conventional bonds at market rate or lower cost funding via the State Renewable Energy Fund. ( ... SEE MORE...).

Other Recent Activities:

WIND POWER FEASIBILITY STUDY RELEASED. We have completed our 'Wind Power Project for the Middle and High Schools - A Feasibility Study'. This study is the culmination of over two years of volunteer work by the Portsmouth EDC's Sustainanble Energy Subcommittee. Our goal was to have a complete, balanced and unbiased report on the project. We hope we have attained that goal. We discussed the study in detail at a workshop with the Town Council on October 1. At the workshop, the town Council unanimously resolved to support the project. View or download a copy of the Wind Power Project for the High School and Middle School - A Feasibility Study - September 2007.

$25K STATE GRANT. We were awarded a $25,000 grant from the State to perform a feasibility study, which is currently in progress.

$2.6 MILLION CREB - We were awarded the option to use $2.6 Million in Clean Renewable Energy Bonds (at zero % interest). See Funding and Economics FAQ Q-F-3 for info.

'CATCH THE WIND' Public Workshop. In June 2007, we conducted three workshops for the public to provide information on our Wind Project and to answer questions and concerns. See a copy of the presentation - CATCH the WIND WORKSHOP. Also see the 'CATCH the WIND' Brochure. Answers to questions and concerns are being researched and will be posted on the Frequently Asked Questions Page.

$25K STATE GRANT. We were awarded a $25,000 grant from the State to perform a feasibility study, which is currently in progress.

$2.6 MILLION CREB - We were awarded the option to use $2.6 Million in Clean Renewable Energy Bonds (at zero % interest). See Funding and Economics FAQ Q-F-3 for info.

CITIZEN REFERENDUM To ensure that the decision to pursue the wind project is what our citizens want, we have taken the extra effort to have legislation enacted by the RI Assembly to have a referendum ballot to allow the voters to approve the bond expenditure for the turbine project. See Laws and Regulations FAQ Q-L-2 for more info.

TOWN COUNCIL WORKSHOP - We conducted a wind workshop with the Town Council on February 20. See the workshop slides (pdf 140KB).

WIND CONFERENCE PRESENTATION - We presented an update of our wind power inititaive at the RI WIND ENERGY CONFERENCE, "From Local to Global: The RI Model for Harnessing Wind Power Worldwide" on APRIL 20, 2007. View PORTSMOUTH'S WIND ENERGY INITIATIVE 4-20-07 (pdf 140KB)

WIND POWER SURVEY - We have been conducting a wind power survey to gather the opinions of our citizens. We have mailed surveys to a number of specific residents and also a random sampling of residents. It is designed to provide us information on what our citizens think as part of our Feasibility Study to present a receommendation tothe Town on whether or not to invest in wind turbines. YOU CAN STILL PARTICIPATE: A copy of the survey can be downloaded and mailed (or e-mailed). Review and download the survey here. WIND POWER SURVEY. The results will included as part of the study report.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM THE COMMUNITY - In the next few months we will have sessions to educate the public and gain their views on the wind power project. We will present our feasibility study to the Town Council in the summer and, if they approve, put the question to the voters.

WIND PLAN OUTLINE:
See our outline of the Town's Path to Wind Energy for more details of our plan.

WIND TIMELINE -
See the projected Project Timeline.

WIND LINKS - For other wind information, visit the LINKS page.

DO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS or COMMENTS? - Our goal is to have every question about the project on the table and every question and concern addressed. Please provide us your questions and concerns by e-mailing:
questions@PortsmouthRIenergy.com

We will respond to all reasonable questions either directly or on the Frequently Asked Questions Page.

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We will continuing to build this site with more information as our project progresses.
Please check back frequently as we provide more information on Portsmouth wind power.

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