Bakke Mountain Wind Farm
Encyclopedia
Bakke Mountain Wind Farm is a proposed wind farm located in Bakke Mountain
, Massachusetts
. It is also known as the Hoosac Wind Project.
hike, the Bakke family noticed the region was quite breezy. The sparse tree growth was misshapen and deformed by the strong winds. Hans Bakke began to consider the possibility of wind energy
at the site. EnXco, the wind-energy company and partner of the French energy conglomerate Électricité de France
, approached the Bakke family to propose building a wind farm together.
1.5 MW wind turbines and will divided among two separate sites – nine turbines on Crum Hill in Monroe
, and eleven on Bakke Mountain
in Florida, Massachusetts
. Each turbine has 1.5 megawatts (MW), so the 20-turbine site would produce 30 MW of power; this is enough energy to supply approximately 9,500 average homes in the region. The towers would be 65 meters (213 ft) tall, with 38.5-meter (126 ft) blades. From base to vertically-positioned blade tip, they will be approximately 103.6 meters (340 ft). The turbines begin generating energy at wind speeds as low as 9 mi/h, and produce the maximum power output when winds blow above 30 mi/h. The maximum rotor speed is 20 rpm.
, archeological, geological, and wildlife
studies have been conducted as well. In November 2004, the State of Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection
approved the proposed project. However, thorny issues plague the project including the presence of potentially vulnerable species of goldenrod
in the vicinity of the proposed site, as well as the asserted danger to the migratory paths of birds and bats. Green Berkshires, an environmental organization opposed to wind energy projects in the Berkshire mountain range, had filed an appeal currently under consideration by the State of Massachusetts Division of Administrative Law Appeals. As of May, 2008, the project was still under review post environmental standards challenges.
Bakke Mountain
Bakke Mountain is a summit located in the town of Florida, Massachusetts. It was named for Master Sergeant Roald Bakke, who died in the collapse of Texas Tower 4. The mountain is the scene of wildlife and forest conservation efforts and serves as one of the primary sites of the Hoosac Wind Project...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. It is also known as the Hoosac Wind Project.
History
In 1980, during a Bakke MountainBakke Mountain
Bakke Mountain is a summit located in the town of Florida, Massachusetts. It was named for Master Sergeant Roald Bakke, who died in the collapse of Texas Tower 4. The mountain is the scene of wildlife and forest conservation efforts and serves as one of the primary sites of the Hoosac Wind Project...
hike, the Bakke family noticed the region was quite breezy. The sparse tree growth was misshapen and deformed by the strong winds. Hans Bakke began to consider the possibility of wind energy
Wind energy
Wind energy is the kinetic energy of air in motion; see also wind power.Total wind energy flowing through an imaginary area A during the time t is:E = ½ m v2 = ½ v 2...
at the site. EnXco, the wind-energy company and partner of the French energy conglomerate Électricité de France
Électricité de France
Électricité de France S.A. is the second largest French utility company. Headquartered in Paris, France, with €65.2 billion in revenues in 2010, EDF operates a diverse portfolio of 120,000+ megawatts of generation capacity in Europe, Latin America, Asia, the Middle East and Africa.EDF is one of...
, approached the Bakke family to propose building a wind farm together.
Project details
The project will consist of 20 General ElectricGeneral Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
1.5 MW wind turbines and will divided among two separate sites – nine turbines on Crum Hill in Monroe
Monroe, Massachusetts
Monroe is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 93 at the 2000 census. By area, population and population density, it is the smallest town in the county; and is the second-smallest town by population in the Commonwealth, with only Gosnold having fewer...
, and eleven on Bakke Mountain
Bakke Mountain
Bakke Mountain is a summit located in the town of Florida, Massachusetts. It was named for Master Sergeant Roald Bakke, who died in the collapse of Texas Tower 4. The mountain is the scene of wildlife and forest conservation efforts and serves as one of the primary sites of the Hoosac Wind Project...
in Florida, Massachusetts
Florida, Massachusetts
Florida is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 676 at the 2000 census. It is home to the east portal of the Hoosac Tunnel, as well as Whitcomb Summit , the highest point of the Mohawk...
. Each turbine has 1.5 megawatts (MW), so the 20-turbine site would produce 30 MW of power; this is enough energy to supply approximately 9,500 average homes in the region. The towers would be 65 meters (213 ft) tall, with 38.5-meter (126 ft) blades. From base to vertically-positioned blade tip, they will be approximately 103.6 meters (340 ft). The turbines begin generating energy at wind speeds as low as 9 mi/h, and produce the maximum power output when winds blow above 30 mi/h. The maximum rotor speed is 20 rpm.
Recent developments
In January 2006, Hoosac Wind LLC was purchased by the British company PPM Energy for an estimated $40 million (PPM was subsequently absorbed by Iberdrola Renewables). Hoosac Wind LLC was renamed New England Wind LLC. Under enXco, Hoosac Wind had tentative approval from both Florida and Monroe after taking considerable amounts of wind-speed and direction data; avianBird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
, archeological, geological, and wildlife
Wildlife
Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....
studies have been conducted as well. In November 2004, the State of Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection
Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection
The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection is an agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, responsible for protecting the environment in the state. Its areas of responsibility include preventing pollution of air, water, and ground; protecting wetlands; waste and recycling issues;...
approved the proposed project. However, thorny issues plague the project including the presence of potentially vulnerable species of goldenrod
Goldenrod
Solidago, commonly called goldenrods, is a genus of about 100 species of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. Most are herbaceous perennial species found in the meadows and pastures, along roads, ditches and waste areas in North America. There are also a few species native to Mexico, South...
in the vicinity of the proposed site, as well as the asserted danger to the migratory paths of birds and bats. Green Berkshires, an environmental organization opposed to wind energy projects in the Berkshire mountain range, had filed an appeal currently under consideration by the State of Massachusetts Division of Administrative Law Appeals. As of May, 2008, the project was still under review post environmental standards challenges.