#BUCPUA students go inside North America’s first commercial urban wind turbine
On August 26, #BUCPUA students and friends carpooled to Pemberton Point in Hull, Massachusetts, where they were granted special permission to crawl around inside Hull Wind 1, a wind turbine generator that reaches 164 feet high. Led by Andrew Stern, president of New England Wind Power, the group learned about the wind turbine’s construction, how it creates electricity from wind, and the regulatory, financial, and engagement processes that facilitated its creation.
Hull Wind 1 was erected in 2001, making it the first commercial-grade wind turbine generator in New England and the first commercial urban wind generator in North America. This turbine produces 660kW of power and has saved Hull hundreds of thousands of dollars since 2001. In 2006, Hull Wind 2 was erected to further capitalize on Hull’s strong coastal winds.
Luis Quintanilla, President of the #BUCPUA Urban Planning Association, shared the following sentiments:
This trip was a great experience to learn about the history and operation of the wind turbines in Hull, Massachusetts. It is remarkable that the residents from Hull have supported projects concerning the use of different forms of renewable energy. Wind energy is abundant and clean, meaning there are less greenhouse gas emissions and less land area required to provide energy. The town of Hull has been able to take advantage of high wind speeds from eastern Massachusetts to implement two wind turbines in 2001 and 2006, obtaining a quick return on the investments and producing clean electricity for the town. Economics are key in the success of renewable energy projects; therefore, it is crucial for planners and project managers to present the business case and its benefits very clearly to municipalities and residents in order to obtain the proper support, as Hull has done.
We also enjoyed the trip because we met students from Harvard and Northeastern universities, allowing us to exchange ideas and experiences in the field of renewable energy. We concluded our visit to Hull having a nice lunch with the group on Nantasket Beach.
– Courtney Thraen (MET’17)