The construction of the largest wind turbine in New England on the property of Applied Materials (formerly Varian Semiconductor) in Gloucester is a big deal, both literally and figuratively!
At the North Shore Technology Council's (NSTC.org) February Sustainability Forum meeting, Rick Johnson, Director of Facilities at semiconductor, flat panel display and solar photovoltaic manufacturer Applied Materials (i.e. using lots of energy 24/7), discussed the benefits and challenges of installing this awesome beast.
Some facts:
100-meter tall steel tower
100-meter rotors
1.6 acres coverage area
Powering a 2.5 megawatt generator
Producing 9.0 million kWh
$750k to prove that the birds won't mind
Annual cost of maintenance is $75k
Total cost is $8 million (but lots of gov RECS - Renewable Energy Credits)
It will pay for itself in less than 6 years...
In the first 60 days of operation it "made" $250k
Adam Wade at Foley Hoag was instrumental in the negotiations and success of the project ... this is great since they are a sponsor of the NSTC's North Shore Innoventures (www.NSIV.org) tech business incubator!
Check them out:
