Steven Sears on Living With Wind Turbines
I was staying in a room on the top floor of the Tropicana Casino and Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey, when I saw them: five big white things with propellers.
The Jersey-Atlantic Wind Farm in Atlantic City, N.J. was the first wind farm built in New Jersey and the first coastal wind farm in the United States. Operational as of December 2005, it consists of five 1.5-megawatt (MW) General Electric wind turbines, and is located at the Atlantic County Utilities Authority (ACUA) Wastewater Treatment Plant on White Horse Pike, better known as Route 30. The wastewater treatment plant uses roughly half of the wind-generated capacity from the wind turbines, providing 50% of the plant’s electricity needs. The remaining energy produced by the wind turbines is sold to the main power grid for resale as renewable electricity. Check out the webcam.
- Project includes five 380'-0" high wind turbines
- Each General Electric wind turbine is capable of producing 1.5 MW for a total of 7.5 MW, enough energy to power approximately 2,500 homes.
- When operating at optimal wind conditions, the energy will be used to operate the ACUA wastewater treatment plant, with any excess energy provided to the main power grid.
- The cost of the project was $12.5 million. Community Energy received a $1.7 million grant from the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, and applied for a $1.92 million customer supply grant through Atlantic City Electric. The remaining costs were funded by equity investments and debt financing.
- Wind Farm was operational as of December 2005.
Shortly after the completion of the Jersey-Atlantic Wind Farm, Belmar, another Jersey shore town about 45 miles north of Atlantic City, began experimenting with smaller, vertical wind turbines. The township also installed a data-logging anemometer on the roof of the Belmar Housing Authority. At 75'-0" off the ground and with proximity to the Manasquan Inlet and Shark River, this anemometer will collect wind data that will determine if it is feasible to install vertical axis wind turbines. Belmar is unlike Atlantic City. The Jersey-Atlantic Wind Farm is in a barren, marshy area, near the Borgata and Water Club tandem, and is not intrusive to visitors seeking high end gambling, dining, and luxury. Belmar doesn’t have the luxury of so much open space, which is driving the decision to install smaller vertical wind turbines.