October 21, 2008
Wind Turbines and the Farms of Martha’s Vineyard
With the passage of the Green Communities Act this summer, many exciting and brand new concepts using
renewable energy systems (solar electric and wind turbines) are now possible.
Net metering, a credit for power generated and not used on site, will now be credited from month to month
and can accumulate without penalty. Power assignment, the ability to assign power from a renewable energy
project to any other NStar account (essentially free of charge), will be possible for the first time.
The focus of this letter is wind turbines and farms. For the same power rating, wind turbines typically have
more than double the yearly output of solar photovoltaic cells for less than one fourth of the cost.
As the wind consultant for Northern Pines Farm in Tisbury (recent applicant to the Mass. Tech. Collaborative
for a wind turbine feasibility study grant), my investigation has shown that wind turbines and the farms on
the island, with the amazing possibilities made real by the Green Communities Act, will be a revolutionary
combination.
Farms on Martha’s Vineyard:
Farming on Martha’s Vineyard is very difficult economically - the intense economic pressures on farms have
led to a dramatic decline in both their size and number. Competition for land, high fuel and operating costs,
the difficulty of attracting steady labor, and the encroachment of suburban mentalities are some of the
challenges that the island’s farmers face.
Farms and Renewable Energy:
Making the connection between renewable energy generation (in the form of wind turbines and solar panels)
and farms is perhaps the best way to help farmers on the Vineyard survive and start the movement towards
sustainable agriculture. Electricity from wind turbines and solar panels can be used for lighting in
greenhouses and other farm structures and can be used for heating and cooling using efficient modern heat
pumps. Using this electricity to offset and/or replace the use of fossil fuels will serve to cut operating costs
for farmers, support our efforts in reducing global warming, and insulate farmers from fuel inflation.
Through the possibilities created by the Green Communities Act of 2008, namely net metering and
assignment of power, we envision multiple new opportunities to use renewable energy to support our farmers.
Net Metering:
Expanding the net metering credit from month to month to a cumulative credit is an enormous benefit to
farmers. This will allow farms to reap the benefit of renewable energy generation even when it doesn’t
coincide with electricity use – as with a solar photovoltaic system making a lot of electricity in the summer
and a greenhouse using a lot of electricity in the winter.
Interconnecting Farms:
On Martha’s Vineyard, due to local zoning constraints, FAA wind turbine height issues due to the centrally
located Martha’s Vineyard Airport, and difficulty in accessing power lines of sufficient capacity, wind
turbines will need to be located in areas that are not near many of the island’s farms.
Power assignment and net metering, as spelled out in the Green Communities Act, could serve as a powerful
solution to this issue. A large wind turbine on one farm (in a location chosen based on best wind resource,
lowest impact on neighbors, and access to the grid) could serve multiple farms. This will allow more than
one farm to share the benefit of fixed price electricity which would directly serve to reduce a farm’s
operating costs.
Northern Pines Farm:
The Massachusetts Department of Agriculture has been extremely supportive of our concept of connecting
two or more farms with on turbine. Over the past year we have discussed what a farm structure like this
would look like with the MDAR renewable energy staff. The grant application to the Mass. Tech
Collaborative for Northern Pines Farm included developing a farm entity that would connect a large wind
turbine on Northern Pines Farm with the large greenhouse at another Vineyard farm. This entity could only
exist through the new possibilities created by the Green Communities Act.
Farm Cooperative:
If the above idea is expanded, then perhaps multiple farms could own shares in one turbine, in a sense
creating a “farm cooperative” that would share the risk of erecting a wind turbine, but also share the benefit
of fixed price electricity. The location of the wind turbine could use the criteria mentioned above (best wind
resource, lowest impact on neighbors, and access to grid) and would benefit from being larger in size and
therefore more efficient and less costly per kWh of output than multiple small wind turbines located on many
farms.
Farm Cooperative Expanded to the Community:
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs connect the community and farmers on a local level that
is often quite successful. Each member of the program commits to the purchase of shares of the produce or
fresh meat from a farmer over the growing season. If the farmer is connected to a wind turbine, some of
that electricity will be used by the farm. Excess output from the wind turbine could be assigned to members
of the CSA.
In exchange, CSA members could send payment at some agreed rate to the farmer. If the farmer is going to
assign excess power from the wind turbine to another user anyway, why not to the families in the CSA that
are already supported by and supportive of the farm? This creates another dependable revenue stream for the
farmer and lets more people participate in the “green” electricity generated by the wind turbine.
Farmers and the Green Community Act:
The Green Community Act stipulates that 1% of NStar’s peak output, or approximately 50 MW of wind
turbines, will be open to the new net metering/power assignment program. It appears that the assignment of
power could allow a wind turbine owner to receive payments for assigned power that would be much greater
than the wholesale price of electricity offered by NStar.
Realizing that a wind turbine in the net metering/power assignment “quota” of 50 MW will reap at least double
the revenue of a similar wind turbine project not in the quota, it seems possible that private developers will
rush to get into this 1% group.
I feel strongly that the goals of the Green Community Act would not be served if this quota is filled by private
developers. Projects that have a strong community component, such as farms, schools, community centers,
etc. should have a preferred status to make sure they are included in the 1% quota.
This preferred status would ensure that farms and farmers could enjoy the benefits of renewable energy and
would perhaps be the best way to support farmers and achieve sustainable agriculture on the Vineyard.
Sincerely,
Brian K. Nelson
Nelson Mechanical Design, Inc.
PO Box 4778
Vineyard Haven, MA 02568
www.nmdgreen.com 508 696 3120 p & f
Martha's Vineyard Wind Energy Info Site
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