Wind Power:

Wind Workshop Pictures!
See pictures of the 10kw small wind installers apprentice workshop!
See them here.

Wind power is the fast growing renewable energy technology in the world. More locally, wind is the most abundant renewable energy source on Cape Cod and the Islands.   To view a Wind Resource Map, showing the degree of wind around Massachusetts, click here.

 Self-Reliance believes that the development of clean, local energy sources is imperative to sustainable growth on a community level as well as on a global level.  Wind power may be  harnessed on land and off-shore. Many European countries have been implementing wind power both on-shore and off.   

Municipal Wind:

Land-based wind development is growing in the U.S. and interest is growing locally.  Many towns on Cape Cod are looking into the possibilities of installing turbines.  A number of towns with wastewater treatment facilities and municipal water pumping facilities see huge amounts of power being consumed, along with high costs associated with that power.  By installing wind turbines where power is consumed on-site, towns can realize energy savings over a relatively short period of investment.   

In March 2003, Self-Reliance and  the Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve initiated a series of public forums on land-based wind power under funding from the National Estuarine Research Reserves’ Coastal Training Program. The objective of these workshops is to help municipal officials learn about wind power basics and about the more complex issues associated with wind energy development on their own, without the presence of a developer. Based on a needs assessment of the towns, Self-Reliance and WBNERR launched these workshops to educate the region’s to understand their unique energy needs and development possibilities, rather than allowing developers to dictate the process. These workshops have been very successful thus far in addressing common questions and in promoting information exchange among local officials, complementing the MTC’s efforts to support project-oriented activities through the Community Wind Initiative. The Community Wind Initiative assists municipalities with the predevelopment tasks to determine if utility-scale wind power is appropriate for them. 

In the Cape and Islands region, the following towns have joined the MTC's Community Wind Initiative and have an anemometer installed: Orleans, Brewster, Wellfleet, Eastham, Truro, Falmouth, Harwich and Bourne.  Other towns are beginning the process.  Click Here to learn more about how a town can join the MTC's Community Wind Initiative.

Off-Shore Wind:

Currently there is a 420-megawatt off-shore wind farm proposed for Nantucket Sound by Cape Wind Associates.  This project has been the center of much controversy.  However, the Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust hosted a much needed stakeholders process which has provided much educational information to the people.  By providing various guest speakers to address the dynamic issues associated with the development of off-shore wind, people should have a deeper understanding of the facts, the issues that need more investigation and how the whole decision making process works.

More recently the Draft Environmental Impact Study has been released by the Army Corps of Engineers.  Click here to view the Study.