“It’s pennies from heaven, the turbine is just spinning and saving you money. It’s a no-brainer,’’ said Medford Mayor Michael J. McGlynn, who oversaw the construction of Medford’s 131-foot-high wind turbine in 2009.
Medford’s turbine, which is visible from Interstate 93, has saved the town more than $25,000 on its electrical bills since it was built with $550,000 in state funds. It provides about 10 percent of the power to a middle school.
These days, city and town officials are lining up to talk to the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center. The quasi-public agency was created by the state in 2008, and is funded by residential ratepayers who draw electricity from utility companies and some municipal light plants that have opted into the program. On average, residential electricity customers pay an extra 29 cents a month to fund the center. It provides full funding to public and private interests for site assessments and feasibility studies, reports that range in cost from $65,000 to $90,000. It also provides up to $400,000 for wind turbine design and construction.
To date, 27 large wind turbines have been constructed across the state, four north of Boston. But feasibility studies show there’s enough wind to provide power in Lynn, Swampscott, Salem, Beverly, Gloucester, and Wenham, where wind speeds average 13.4 miles an hour over a year. Communities closer to the ocean are better suited than the Merrimack Valley, because the winds are stronger, said Andy Brydges, program director for renewable energy generation at the center.
Brydges said economics is the main reason why more cities and towns are considering building wind turbines.
“Towns are desperate for ways to stabilize and save on their municipal electric bills, and renewable energy is a great way to do both of those things,’’ said Brydges.
But not everyone is as bullish as Brydges on the subject.
