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.

The wind turbine generator is expected to provide over 3 million kilowatt-hours of power per year and generate a net savings of over $100,000 each year. Over its expected 20-year minimum lifetime, the net cumulative savings are projected to be nearly $3 million. Funding for the project was authorized via a bond referendum approved by Portsmouth voters last November which allowed the borrowing of up to $3 Million to pay for the effort. The bulk of the borrowing will be in an interest free Clean Renewable Energy Bond.

Several contingencies that are built into the contract include the final receipt of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval for the project along with historical and cultural concurrence since the site is on the perimeter of the Ft. Butts historical site. Both contingencies are expected to be favorably resolved shortly. There also will be a set of geo-technical studies to be done immediately to ensure that the expected geology exists to support the turbine foundation before any additional funding is expended.

“ There is a lot of work to do before we start making electricity, but this is an important milestone that culminates over three years of intense effort by the Town to ensure that this project is a ‘revenue generator’ for the Town. Our Committee did an extraordinary job in analyzing various aspects of the project and working with Town, State and Federal officials and technical experts, to make sure that the best terms in funding the project were obtained and all the technical risks were minimized.” , said Gary Gump, Chair of the Town Economic Development Committee’s Sustainable Energy Subcommittee. “ The RI Office of Energy Resources was particularly helpful in providing us a $25,000 grant to do a feasibility study and a low interest loan to help finance the project.”, he added.

Construction of the wind turbine generator foundation and installation of interconnection equipment and wiring is expected to be done this summer. When the wind turbine is received, which could be as early as November 2008, installation and connection is expected to take about 3 days.

The wind turbine, on its 65 meter tower atop the second highest hill on Aquidneck Island, long ago called “windmill hill”, will be a visible indication of Portsmouth’s commitment to ‘green’ energy. It will play a role in reducing the Town’s ‘carbon footprint’ and will help achieve the State’s goal of 20 percent of its energy produced by renewable resources by 2020.