At 1pm on Saturday, March 7, the Portsmouth Wind Turbine Generator will formally be turned on and connected to the grid, according to a release issued this afternoon by the Portsmouth Economic Development Committee. There will be a brief ceremony at the site, in the field behind the PHS gym.

According to the EDC, the project came in under the $3 million number approved by town voters in 2007 and is expected to produce enough energy to supply over 60 percent of the town’s electrical needs and return over $200,000 net positive revenue to the town the first year in operation.

The 1.5 megawatt turbine generator is expected to provide over 3 million kilowatt-hours of power per year, said the EDC. Under RI’s new net billing law, this production will displace electrical power that the town normally buys from the power company. In addition, the Town will sell the energy’s environmental attributes to the green power provider, People’s Power & Light, for use in their product New England GreenStart. Together, the annual savings and income will more than cover the annual cost of operation and debt service on the turbine generator.

In a prepared statement, Rich Talipsky, Chair of the Portsmouth Economic Development Committee (PEDC) said, “I am glad the citizens of Portsmouth made the decision to invest in this important project. And, I am happy that we were able to make it happen. This is truly the “Town’s Wind Turbine Generator.” Gary Gump, Chair of the PEDC’s Sustainable Energy Subcommittee, which had spearheaded the project, added, “There were so many facets to this project, many of which could have stopped it in its tracks along the way. It has been a challenge, but seeing the project come to reality is the real pleasure from all our hard work and perseverance throughout.”

Editorial note: Yep, for this one, I mostly just did a writethru on the press release. I'll have some real coverage on Saturday.