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| Hinesburg Community Wind Project |
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In 2007 the Town of Hinesburg received a grant for construction of a wind turbine in Geprags Park behind the
Carpenter-Carse Library for the purpose of supplying power to the Library and to help educate the public to the
benefits of wind power. The Hinesburg Wind Turbine was installed on the hill behind the Library at Ballards Corner by Earth Turbines Inc. of Hinesburg during the Winter of 2009. As part of the project Earth Turbines was conducting research on a prototype turbine they were developing. The turbine they first installed needed modifications and has since been removed. There are plans to install a "new and improved" version of the turbine in the near future. |
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| Why Install A Wind Turbine? –
The wind turbine will produce part of the electricity consumed by the library. The turbine is
not big enough to supply all power needed, but when more power is being produced than consumed, the excess goes
back into the electrical grid through a reverse metering process. This process, known as net metering, will result
in a credit on the Library's power bill.
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| How Does The Turbine Work? –
Small wind turbines are simple machines with only a few moving parts. The wind turns the blades, which turns the
shaft, which drives the generator, creating electricity. The faster the wind speed and the larger the area covered
by the blade, the more electricity generated. The library's 2.5-kilowatt wind turbine (with rotors 14 feet in diameter)
sits on a 100-foot-tall tower.
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What Are The Benefits Of Small Wind? – Some of the many benefits include: lower electric bills,
increased energy independence, keeps energy development local, and provides renewable energy that produces no emissions
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| Why Geprags Park? –
The higher the wind tower, the faster the wind speed, and the more electricity generated. Since the library is in a low-lying
area, a search of the surrounding area determined that Geprags Park - with an estimated wind speed of 10 mph - was the best
site for the turbine.
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| Why The Interest In Wind Power?
– Wind power isn't new to Vermont - many farms traditionally had wind-powered wells that supplied cattle with
water. More recently, with rising concerns about climate change, reliance on foreign oil, increasing energy costs and the need
to secure a sustainable energy supply, the interest in wind and other forms of renewable energy has skyrocketed.
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