Portsmouth signs wind turbine contract! [update2, with video, link]

Canario and Pichs sign contract
Portsmouth Town Council President Dennis Canario and Alexander Pichs of WindSmart, LLC.

Hailing it as a "milestone for Portsmouth," Town Council President Dennis Canario signed a $2.9M contract with WindSmart, LLC to install a 1.5 megawatt wind turbine generator on the grounds of Portsmouth High School.

"The voters overwhelmingly approved this," Canario said in brief remarks before the signing. He went on to thank our state legislators, Gov. Carcieri's energy advisor Andrew Dzykewicz (who came down from Providence for the occasion), the RI Office of Energy Resources, and the volunteers on the Portsmouth Economic Development Committee (PEDC).

"They pursued a nascent concept for over three years," said Canario. "The PEDC, and the energy subcommittee led by Gary Gump turned this into reality."

Construction is set to begin this summer, and the wind turbine is expected to be installed in November, and in operation before the end of the year. It will begin pumping out 3 million kilowatt-hours of power each year, providing direct savings of over $100,000 per year over its projected 20-year lifespan.

A couple of technical approvals remain — final signoff from the FAA on the original location and cultural clearance since the turbine borders the historic Ft. Butts site. The Town anticipates resolving these "shortly," according to a release distributed at the meeting. "Our committee did an extraordinary job," Gump said in the statement, "In analyzing various aspects of the project and working with Town, State, and Federal officials and technical experts to make sure all the technical risks were minimized."

Congratulations and thanks are due to the hardworking folks on the PEDC. It will be a great sight, come November, to see that tower going up and knowing that with every revolution, it puts a little money back in the town coffers and reduces our dependence on carbon.

And a big thanks all around to the voters of Portsmouth for the vision and willingness to support this project. A great day for the town. Yay.

cc-licensed high-res photo available on Flickr.

Update:
Thanks to Doug Smith of the EDC, the video is up on YouTube.

Update 2:
The Newport Daily News has a great writeup.