Wind Towers Spark Debate

BY ROBIN SMITH, Staff Writer

Tuesday July 1, 2003

LOWELL VT- Until the middle of June, the idea of windmills on the ridge line of Lowell 's mountains seemed like something over the horizon.

Then, two wind test towers more than 100 feet tall went up, and the debate is on.

Property owners have been approached by enXco, the company seeking to install big modern wind turbines here - if the wind tests are successful.

The company is seeking long-term leases for the wind turbine locations along the ridge, and won't divulge the details of those contracts.

Some communities within eyesight of where the turbines might go up have been approached, and others will be this summer.

And by summer's end, the communities around the Lowell mountain range may know if it is the right place for a wind farm.

John Zimmerman of Vermont Environmental Research Associates of Waterbury Center is the advance man for enXco. He is managing the company's existing wind farm in Searsburg, seeking state permission to test the winds of Victory, and is the point man in Lowell .

Zimmerman expects to meet with people in Albany , where some will be able to see the wind turbines. He also anticipates returning to talk to folks in Lowell and other nearby communities.

Except for securing leases to use private property if the winds prove sufficient for a wind farm, talk is about all he is doing right now in Lowell . "It requires a lot of public input," Zimmerman said.

The rumor mill is filling the gap between what he has been able to tell locals and what might happen. Information is key to a successful wind project, he said.

Zimmerman is candid about what it means to have a wind farm in town.

These turbines, a quarter of the height of a big skyscraper at more than 300 feet from base to blade tip, aren't anything like the windmills of old. They would dominate the skyline, and be quite visible. "Any place we are looking to be in, you can see from a long way away," Zimmerman said.

Certain points in Lowell , Craftsbury, Eden , Jay Peak , Irasburg, Greensboro , Mount Mansfield and Stowe will have a view of the windmills.

That's the point: to gain access to the best winds, the turbines must be high up. "There's no real hiding them," he said.

There must be at least 10 to 15 wind turbines in any proposed wind farm for the company to make money, Zimmerman said. This won't be one turbine on the skyline, but a line of them.

They also must be located in sparcely populated areas. "Wind turbines don't make good neighbors," he said.

That's why ski areas are poor places to put big wind turbines. There must be a safety radius of 750 to 1,000 feet around the wind turbine, because they may fling ice off in winter, he said.

But at that distance, the sound is diminished, another commonly expressed concern about the turbines.

Another concern brought up by part-time Lowell resident Kevin McGraff is the destination of the power generated. It will enter the grid, and become part of the power serving New England .

Some say that means it won't serve local residents and lower their power rates.

Zimmerman said the more power generated in Vermont , the less that has to be bought from somewhere else.

Most people do not think about what happens when they flick on the light switch. That power is from oil, nuclear power or hydro dams. For some people, having wind power is preferable, Zimmerman said.

"If you just say no to wind, you are saying yes to something else."

Wind and hydro power are free energy sources that are costly to convert into electricity. Natural gas, coal and oil are cheap to turn into electricity but costly to purchase. Each has some kind of environmental impact. Zimmerman said eventually people involved in wind farm debates have to decide what kind of power they can support.

Wind farms lead to restricted land use around the turbines, and a significant impact on the horizon.

For some, windmills are attractive; for others, they are not.

Lowell Selectman Richard Pion, who has been approached by enXco but has not struck a deal as yet, said Lowell voters in March approved a place for alternative energy sources like wind as part of the updated town plan. Most people aren't upset about the wind farm idea, he said.

The town stands to gain quite a bit in tax revenue on the wind equipment if a wind farm is approved, he said.

Although Zimmerman said tests could run for months, Pion said that the company must think it's worth the investment up to now.

Speculation that the wind farm will run all the way to Eden will have to remain that, until a proposal is unveiled to gain a state permit. Windmills must be approved in a process much like Act 250.

In the meantime, Zimmerman said he will be meeting with selectmen and small groups in the Lowell-Albany-Crasftsbury area, and later in a larger forum, with anyone interested in wind power here.

Pion said he personally feels there is plenty of wind along Lowell 's ridge line to keep a wind farm operational most of the year.

"We have to wait like everyone else to see what the project will look like," he said.