Hodges Badge finishing Portsmouth turbine

PORTSMOUTH – Custom ribbon and medal maker Hodges Badge Co. is in the final stages of building a 250-kilowatt wind turbine to power its factory on East Main Road.
The finished turbine will stand 98-feet tall and have three 49-foot blades. It will be the third operational windmill in Portsmouth and the fourth on Aquidneck Island.
Foundation work on the project began a year ago and by Thursday a portion of the tower had been erected. Construction is expected to be finished by Dec. 16.
Able to generate power from winds as light as 9 miles-per-hour, the turbine is designed to produce enough electricity to run Hodges’ entire manufacturing operation.
“We will be the first manufacturer in Rhode Island completely powered by our own renewable energy source” said Rick Hodges, president of Hodges Badge in a news release.
The project is expected to cost $900,000 and is being helped by grants from the Rhode Island Renewable Energy Fund and federal stimulus money.
The John Milnes Co. of Middletown is managing construction.

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