EPA Head Visits Wind Powered Community
Stephen Johnson, the head of the EPA administration, visited a small community in Massachusetts called Hull. This community has built two wind turbines to meet some of their energy needs in clean way. Stephen Johnson called this community an “example for the rest of the nation”. He seems to be really genuine about pushing for more Wind Energy across America. As I reported in this week’s news, he could also be trying to get the bad press away from him with his failure to follow through with the .
History Of Hull
Hull is a small town located in the off the Nantasket Peninsula of Massachusetts and has been known as “Windmill Point” since the 1820s. In 1985, Hull built a small 40-kilowatt turbine near its high school in an effort to reduce some of their wind energy costs. That same windmill was later destroyed by a storm in 1997. The town wanted to continue using wind energy, but at a larger scale. They decided to do more research and in 2001 was able to afford a new wind turbine called the Hull Wind 1. The Hull Wind 1 was purchased from Vestas, one of the world’s leading wind turbine manufacturers. The town didn’t stop there and purchased an additional wind turbine called the Hull Wind 2.
Hull’s Wind Energy
Hull’s main goal behind buying these wind turbines was to power a good portion of the town’s energy needs. The Hull Wind 1 was able to cut the town’s street lighting bill from $150,000 a year to zero. It can produce 1.5 million kilowatt-hours per year, enough to power approximately 250 houses. The Hull Wind 2 alone handles 10% of the town’s electricity needs, producing triple the amount of energy of the first. As stated by Hull officials:
The wind turbines save the town $680,000 per year because Hull has to purchase less electricity from other, more expensive sources.
Community Involvement
The greatest accomplishment this town has done is to get together as a community and try to make a difference. Whether it’s strictly for monetary benefits or for the environment, it is a wonderful to see this town take action. This community hopefully will set a precedence for other towns and cities across America that they can rely on themselves and not have to wait until energy companies or the government decides to take action.
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Seeing more and more wind farms showing up all over the place here in Canada. I think its great. And they really are a thing of beauty to me….a human creation that is powered entirely by mother nature. Hopefully the trend continues to grow!
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