Wind power in Rhode Island

Wind power in Rhode Island is in the early stages of development. There are several small scale wind turbine projects in the state. As of December 2013 there were 11 turbines at 10 sites in the state.[1] In 2014, Rhode Island had 9 MW of installed wind power capacity,[2] which quickly rose to 75 MW in 2019.[3]

2007 US Department of Energy wind resource map of Rhode Island

Rhode Island’s first commercial turbine was constructed in March 2006 at Portsmouth Abbey on Aquidneck Island. Block Island Wind Farm, the first offshore in the U.S., came on line in 2016.

Early windmills and NASA experiment

There were numerous windmills in Rhode Island. Several of the 18th and 19th century windmills are still standing and are often open for public viewing. NASA built an experimental wind turbine on Block Island in 1979.[4][5]

Portsmouth Abbey
The Portsmouth Abbey turbine in Portsmouth was erected in 2006

In March 2006 the Portsmouth Abbey School installed a 660-kW V-47 turbine on Aquidneck Island.[6]

Portsmouth High School

Installed in 2009, the Portsmouth High School turbine had been the largest producer of electricity produced by wind power.[7] until faltering in 2012. In 2014, the municipality voted to replace it.[8] The replacement wind turbine came online in 2016. It is 88 meters tall and is rated at 1.5 MW capacity.

Fields Point

Brought on line in 2012, the three wind turbines at Fields Point in Providence are each rated at 1.5 mW. Manufactured by Goldwind USA, they each have 150 ft (46 m) blades and height of 364 ft (111 m) and together supply about 40 to 50 percent of the electricity used by the Narragansett Bay Commission's (NBC) regional waste and storm water treatment facility.[9][10][11]

North Kingstown

A single 413 ft (126 m) turbine in North Kingstown came on line in 2012.[12][13]

Block Island Wind Farm

Construction for the Block Island Wind Farm began in 2015. It came online at the end of 2016.

Proposals

Coventry

Ten 1.5-megawatt turbines in Coventry have been proposed[14][15][16] [17]

East Bay Energy Consortium

In 2009, the municipalities on the shores of the Easy Bay and Aquidneck & Conanicut Island formed an advisory group that worked through the legislative session of 2012 to build a wind-farm. The group consisted of professionals and community leaders, and sought to determine the viability of a wind-power facility in the hills of Tiverton near RI route 24 and the border with Fall River, Massachusetts. The group generated over two years of wind data from the Tiverton heights. The 10 turbine development project would have provided energy to the East Bay and islands directly via an agreement with National Grid. Legislation to establish a legal entity died in the Rhode Island General Assembly in 2012 over disagreements concerning state powers.[18] Earlier in 2012, Apex Wind Energy competed in courting the City of Tiverton for use of the land, which included a proposed-but-never-built industrial park, and segments of Tiverton Water Department and North Tiverton Fire Department land.[19]

Deep Water Wind Energy Center

In fall of 2011, Deep Water Wind submitted plans for a massive 200 turbine wind facility 25 miles from shore in federal waters. The facility would provide power to New England and Long Island communities.[20]

Bans on turbines

In 2011, Charlestown became the first municipality in the United States to pass a ban on any size or type of electricity-generating wind turbines. The sweeping prohibition applies to large commercial as well as smaller residential turbines.[21]

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See also

References
  1. McLeish, Todd (December 23, 2013). "URI economist: Wind turbines in Rhode Island have no effect on property values". University of Rhode Island. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  2. Renewable Energy in Rhode Island
  3. Wind Energy in Rhode Island
  4. "MOD-0A WIND TURBINE BLOCK ISLAND RHODE ISLAND DEDICATION". Internet Archive.
  5. "MOD-0A WIND TURBINE BLOCK ISLAND RHODE ISLAND DEDICATION". Internet Archive.
  6. Grace, Robert C.; Gifford, Jason (December 2006). Grace, Robert C. (ed.). "Regional Wind Development Update" (PDF). New England Wind Forum: A Wind Powering America Project. 1 (2). National Renewable Energy Laboratory. p. 8. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 January 2017.
  7. "Jan 09: New Turbine at Portsmouth, RI". ripower.org.
  8. Richard Salit. "Portsmouth opts to replace broken wind turbine". providencejournal.com.
  9. Narragansett Bay Commission Field’s Point WWTF Wind Farm Energy Project Wind and Water Digest
  10. Kuffner, Alex (December 29, 2013). "Providence wind turbines churn out more power than projected". Providence Journal. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  11. "January 2013: Providence Wind Turbines Are Spinning!" (Press release). RI Power. January 2013. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  12. "413-Foot Wind Turbine to Be Completed Next Week". North Kingstown, Rhode Island Patch.
  13. "North Kingston Green Wind Project - Goldwind Americas". goldwindamerica.com.
  14. "A Big Win(d) for Rhode Island" (Press release). People's Power and Light. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  15. STATE OF RHODE ISLAND AND PROVIDENCE PLANTATIONS PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION re: WED COVENTRY ONE, LLC
  16. WEDCoventry-Petition
  17. STATE OF RHODE ISLAND AND PROVIDENCE PLANTATIONS PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION IN RE: PETITION OF WED COVENTRY Docket No. 4547 Agreed Statement of Facts
  18. http://patch.com/rhode-island/portsmouth/ebec-continues-push-for-tiverton-wind-farm-9aaa9e45
  19. http://earthtechling.com/2012/02/developers-compete-for-rhode-island-wind/
  20. http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/articles/2011/10/plans-submitted-for-1000-megawatt-offshore-wind-farm.html
  21. "Charlestown Strikes Up the Ban on Wind Turbines". ecoRI News.
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