Turbine stands tall in Fall River

BLOWING IN THE WIND: The Durfee High School Green team, with Gov. Deval L. Patrick and Philips Lighting CEO Zia Eftekhar, at a ceremony marking the wind turbine's use last month.  / COURTESY MASSACHUSETTS OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
BLOWING IN THE WIND: The Durfee High School Green team, with Gov. Deval L. Patrick and Philips Lighting CEO Zia Eftekhar, at a ceremony marking the wind turbine's use last month. / COURTESY MASSACHUSETTS OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR

A new wind turbine at the Philips Lightolier plant in Fall River officially opened on Jan. 31 amidst much fanfare. Standing 415-feet tall, the 2 megawatt generator is the largest structure in the city and one of the largest turbines in the state. It is larger than the 336-foot, 1.5 MW turbine at Portsmouth High School and more than twice as large as the two, 150-foot turbines located in Warwick, each one rated at 100-kilowatts.
The Lightolier turbine serves as an example of how private and public entities can come together to create a partnership benefiting both parties. For Lightolier – a manufacturer of high-performance fluorescent lighting and lighting systems – the turbine is expected to generate up to 70 percent of the 326,000-square-foot facility’s electrical needs for their 415 employees.
As part of the growing movement toward green energy and independence on foreign oil, it was constructed with the help of local contractors and unions, providing work for several hundred people. It was built under the guidance of local contractors J.L. Marshall and Sons of Seekonk and Glynn Electric of Plymouth, Mass., as well as the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the United Steel Workers.
Estimated at $4.5 million, the turbine is also one of the many investments the Philips Company, owner of Lightolier, has made in Massachusetts. It was, however, studied, designed, and constructed with the support of nearly $540,000 in grants from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, which promotes the state’s efforts to increase nonpolluting energy sources.
Massachusetts is home to several Philips’ owned companies in Andover, Burlington, Framingham and Fall River. They employ nearly 5,000 people and generate $386 million in payroll. In North America, the Dutch company has grown to approximately 25,000 employees, with offices in 22 states. Locally, their plan is to make the Fall Fiver plant have zero net-energy consumption and zero carbon emissions annually. At 2 megawatts, the turbine is expected to generate enough energy to power 500 homes. “The Lightolier turbine is part of a new era of renewable energy development in Massachusetts,” said Gov. Deval L. Patrick. “Through projects such as this, Massachusetts is building energy self-reliance, breaking free from the price volatility and pollution of fossil fuels and creating jobs for our residents.”
Residents in southeastern Massachusetts and indeed throughout the state are sure to see that trend continue. According to a recent MassCEC study, so-called “clean” energy jobs in Massachusetts grew by 6.7 percent from July 2010 to July 2011.
In Rhode Island, state officials are well aware of Massachusetts’ push for wind energy, and of the new turbine. “It’s a turbine that’s going to support a large industry that employs a lot of people and the construction supported a lot of jobs as well,” said Julian Dash, director of R.I. Economic Development Corporation’s Renewable Energy Fund.
“It’s a good project and I think that is what we would like to do here in Rhode Island, where there’s residual and multiplier economic effect and a job-creating effect.”
Promotion of wind turbines in the Ocean State is on a lesser scale, but in some ways it is equally ambitious and making significant progress. Last October, the energy fund issued a $117,775 grant for a wind-feasibility study and pre-development support to Jamestown for a planned 1.5 MW turbine. “We support their planning efforts and their feasibility study, but ultimately there might not be a wind turbine there,” Dash said. “That’s not for us to decide. A lot of what we do is with the early-stage planning because it’s important that these projects make sense from both a capital and a community standpoint.” In the past, the fund has provided $450,000 for the turbine at Portsmouth Abbey and $425,000 for the turbine at Portsmouth High School.
Last October, the fund awarded $2.7 million to 16 different green projects, 12 of which involved solar technology. Dash recognizes that solar projects have gained momentum but anticipates interest in turbines to increase in 2012. “Last year the General Assembly passed some significant renewable energy legislation, including the distributor-generator contracts program. That’s going to set the stage for some very smart investments,” he said. The new rules facilitate and promote the installation of grid-connected and distributed generation of renewable energy, including privately owned turbines.
Then there is the Block Island Wind Farm, 30 MW offshore wind farm about three miles southeast of Block Island. The five turbine system is planned to generate over 100,000 megawatt hours annually and supply much of the island’s electricity. If built, it will be the first offshore farm in the nation. Contractor Deepwater Wind has construction slated to begin in 2013.
In Massachusetts, Patrick’s goal is to have 2,000 MW of wind energy in place by 2020. The 2.0 MW attributed to the Philips plant will bring the current number up to 46 MW. State officials are hopeful that will increase to 135 MW by the end of the year. •

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