Kudos to local communities for trying to act fiscally and environmentally responsible by looking into alternative energy sources.
Haverhill has looked at the possibility of putting windmills on Golden Hill. To the south, Beverly, Ipswich and Salem are all considering wind turbines to supply the electrical needs of their high schools.
As budgets get stretched ever further, it is tempting to see windmills as windfalls. But we urge careful consideration of these projects to see if they really deliver on their promises.
A University of Massachusetts study found that Haverhill may not be windy enough to support windmills. And in Ipswich, the cost of constructing and maintaining a windmill on school property may be more than the savings it would produce.
Nor does this technology always work. While there have been sporadic attempts to power up the solar array that dominates a hillside next to Beverly High School, for many years it sat there more symbolic of the empty promise of renewable energy than as a beacon for the future.
Much of this technology is still in its infancy. Being on the cutting edge is expensive. Municipalities need the efficiency that comes with proven, mature technologies.
Good intentions alone cannot assure the success of these projects. Before communities spend millions demonstrating their concern for the environment by erecting huge wind turbines or investing in other forms of energy production, they should be certain there will be a reasonable return on and proper management of those facilities.
10 May 2007
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