With the use of wind power continuing to grow, it’s no surprise that the tri-bladed turbines peppering an increasing swath of the American landscape have become the supermodels of green growth – the sky-swept arms and glistening towers appear tailor made for the camera’s lens.
But seldom is attention given to the green cutting edge’s more hidden inner workings, and the tools and technologies that make it all possible.
Take the dual wind turbine system recently put online in Gloucester, Massachusetts just a few months back. For all its outward grace and power – and at roughly 400 feet tall and 4-megawatts, there are plenty of both – the system wouldn’t have been possible without a high-tech data communications system provided by Portsmouth’s own TVC Systems.
TVC, which specializes in high-tech information control systems designed to bolster energy efficiency and overall performance, provided what project manager Adam Sargent calls “communication architecture,” or the mechanisms necessary to tie the dual turbine into an electrical grid.
“We were brought on fairly late in the process when it became clear that a key data monitoring component was needed,” recalls Sargent. “We’d recently worked for Sustainable New Energy on a cogen project and when they came to us with the opportunity to work on our first wind turbine, we jumped at the chance.”
Sargent says the new data control system will allow Gloucester to monitor turbine performance in real time, while also helping the city keep track of renewable energy credits (RECs), which track how many megawatts of power emanate from particular entities.
“The system wasn’t enormously expensive in terms of up front cost, but it is visible and interesting and will help the town save money in the long runs,” notes Sargent. “It’s new territory for us, but it’s exciting territory, too.”
According to representatives from Gloucester Engineering, the city’s principal partner on the project, the system became the first in the state of Massachusetts capable of generating the equivalent of the city’s municipal electric load solely by way of wind power.
The system will henceforth allow the city power all of its buildings – from City Hall to the local high school – at a subsidized rate, saving Gloucester an estimated $500,000 annually over the next 25 years.
About 30 percent of the turbine’s $8 million cost will be subsidized through a federal program, allowing the company to save about $1 million in power costs per year.
The city was able to garner public support for the system thanks in part to findings in a 2012 state-sponsored study which concluded that noise from wind turbines doesn’t pose near the threat to human health and well-being often posited by critics.
Support was also bolstered by the unique location of the system – in an industrial park near Route 128, but far enough away from residential enclaves to make noise and light flickering non-issues.
“What really helped us was location, location, location. It’s properly sited,” says Paul McGeary, a Gloucester city councilor who helped organize public meetings about the turbines over the past year.
According to McGeary, more than 2,000 local citizens turned out to sign the turbine blades, now spinning upwards of 400 feet in the air.
“It had to make financial sense for the city and clearly it does.” noted Mayor Carolyn Kirk, who plans to propose using the savings to help fund a new joint police and fire station that could cost between $10 and $15 million. “But they also represent our city’s desire to protect our natural environment.”
Kirk also noted that the project dovetails perfectly with the city’s effort to fill up much of its long-vacant harbor-front lots with businesses ranging from ocean researchers and scientists to “green” boat-builders.
“We are trying to become a leader in marine biology and marine biotechnology,” noted McGeary. “To do that, you need to have a certain image about being a cutting-edge place, being a place where we’re willing to experiment, being a place where new things are tried and implemented and not just talked about.”
Taken together, the size and scope of – and support for – the project make it a game-changer in Massachusetts, and as clear a sign as any that a steadily improving economy will mean more opportunities for the Bay State to expand its green portfolio.
But it’s also been a coup for TVC Systems. While the company has long been at the forefront of efficiency innovation (they are recognized annually by the EPA for their continued spearheading of projects in the field of CHP, wherein differing systems can be connected in order to enhance efficiency), seldom has their work enjoyed a more visible, visceral exposure than with the new Gloucester turbines.
For once, the curtain is being pulled back to reveal the wizard behind the work.
“We were pretty enthused to have this be our first wind turbine project, and we certainly hope there are more to come,” says Sargent. “I think it goes to show how dynamic our company is, and how we have a role to play in the future of energy efficiency.”
TVC is a corporate partner of Green Alliance, a Portsmouth-based organization which seeks to connect sustainability-minded businesses and consumers throughout the Seacoast region.
Learn more about TVC Systems at www.tvcsystems.com
For more information on Green Alliance, visit www.greenalliance.biz