NEWS

Unitil's wind power great step on all fronts

Seacoast Online
September 25, 2007
www.seacoastonline.com

Some of the most exciting work to diversify our energy sources including developing clean, renewable alternatives and reducing our dependence on foreign oil is taking place in our own back yard, and we couldn't be happier.
 
Hampton-based Unitil Corp. is installing small, new generation wind turbines throughout the Seacoast, with the first appearing rather innocuously atop a utility pole near Hampton Beach. These Skystream 3.7 turbines, made by Arizona-based Southwest Windpower, can produce enough energy to power a single home. Imagine a day when many, most or all homes are powered up by relatively tiny, clean, quiet running windmills. We are now incrementally closer to such a future.
 
Unitil, which serves customers across our region, plans to install 10 to 15 of these turbines in a pilot program to see how well they perform before it looks at a larger wind energy production program. Unitil is the first utility in the country to test the Skystream on a power system as other utilities use much larger turbines.
 
Successfully deploying renewable energy sources can only happen through a partnership of industry, government and consumers. But someone has to take the lead and the best dance partner may in fact be a utility such as Unitil.
 
If it can make more money, pass along some savings to consumers and make the environment cleaner, then that's the American business model operating at full efficiency.
 
We are fortunate to have Unitil step up to the plate and move us further down the road to a new generation of energy generation. Unitil CEO Robert Schoenberger said of the pilot program that "Before we make a big investment we want to take some baby steps." Those initial baby steps are the only way to success.
 
What can residents do to help the cause along? First, they can learn more about these wind turbines and be open-minded about their installation. Unitil will meet with local officials to discuss any proposed site before a turbine is installed.
 
And, we are sure to see Skystream 3.7's popping up on residential properties. It's quite likely there will be concerns about the wind turbines, but they have three blades measuring six feet in length and can be installed atop a 35-foot high pole. Avoiding quick resistance to this energy source of the future is one of those aforementioned baby steps.
 
Because, while it's so important for an industry to seek out renewable, clean energy sources, it's even more important for citizens to have this technology available directly to them. In some, but not all states, residents using the Skystream 3.7 or other self-generating power supply source can sell excess energy back to the utilities.
 
Another baby step is assuring consumers in all states can sell their excess clean, power generation back to the energy grid. Now that's power to the people.