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{{Short description|Wind farms built in Massachusetts}}
{{Infobox power station
| name = Hoosac Wind Power Project
| image = File:Mars Hill Wind Farm 673194644 24fe0eb3f8 b.jpg
| coordinates = {{coord|42|43|47|N|73|1|25|W|type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
| country = United States
| location = [[Berkshire County, Massachusetts]]
| status = Operational
| construction_began = August, 2011
| commissioned = December, 2012
| cost = US$90 million
| owner = [[Iberdrola|Iberdola Renewables]]
| ps_units_operational = 19
| ps_units_manu_model = [[GE Wind Energy]]: 1.5 [[Megawatt|MW]]
| wind_hub_height = {{Convert|213|ft|m}}
| wind_rotor_diameter = {{Convert|252|ft|m}}
| wind_farm_type = Onshore
| ps_site_elevation = {{Convert|2,700|ft|m}}
| ps_site_area = 75 acres
| ps_electrical_capacity = 28.5 [[Megawatt|MW]]
| ps_annual_generation = 7,000 [[MWh]]
| website = {{URL|http://iberdrolarenewables.us/cs_hoosac.html}}
| extra = <ref>{{cite web| title =Hoosac Wind Project to face final hurdle| url =http://www.windaction.org/posts/27823-hoosac-wind-project-to-face-final-hurdle#.UthVG2RdUjk| date = August 24, 2010 | accessdate = January 15, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| title =Hoosac Wind turbines to fire up soon| url =http://www.thetranscript.com/ci_21616849/hoosac-wind-turbines-fire-up-soon| date = September 24, 2012 | accessdate = January 15, 2014}}</ref>
}}

'''Hoosac Wind Power Project''' is a [[wind farm]] on [[Crum Hill]] in [[Monroe, Massachusetts]] and on Bakke Mountain in [[Florida, Massachusetts]]. Owned and operated by [[Iberdrola|Iberdrola Renewables]], it is the largest wind farm in [[Massachusetts]], with 19 [[GE Wind Energy|GE]] 1.5 [[Megawatt|MW]] [[wind turbine]]s and a total installed capacity of 28.5 [[Megawatt|MW]]. The Hoosac Wind power project became fully operational in 2012 and provides enough electricity to power 10,000 homes annually.<ref>{{cite web| title =Hoosac Wind Project Nears Completion| url =http://wamc.org/post/hoosac-wind-project-nears-completion| date = September 10, 2012 | accessdate = January 15, 2014}}</ref>

==History==
In 1980, during a [[Bakke Mountain]] hike, the Bakke family noticed the region was quite breezy. The sparse tree growth was misshapen and deformed by the strong winds. Hans Bakke began to consider the possibility of [[wind energy]] at the site. EnXco, the wind-energy company and partner of the French energy conglomerate [[Électricité de France]], approached the Bakke family to propose building a wind farm, together they created Hoosac Wind LLC. In November 2004, the State of [[Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection]] approved the proposed project. However, thorny issues plague the project including the presence of potentially vulnerable species of [[goldenrod]] in the vicinity of the proposed site, as well as the asserted danger to the migratory paths of birds and bats. Hoosac Wind achieved tentative approval from both [[Florida, Massachusetts|Florida]] and [[Monroe, Massachusetts|Monroe]] after taking considerable amounts of wind-speed and direction data, along with [[bird|avian]], [[archeological]], [[geological]], and [[wildlife]] studies which were conducted as well. In January 2006, Hoosac Wind LLC was purchased by the British company PPM Energy for an estimated US$40 million, PPM was subsequently absorbed by [[Iberdrola|Iberdrola Renewables]].<ref>[https://archive.today/20120913062801/http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS101758+01-May-2008+BW20080501 PPM Energy is Now Iberdrola Renewables] (May 1, 2008) Reuters.</ref> Hoosac Wind LLC was renamed New England Wind LLC. Green Berkshires, an environmental organization opposed to wind energy projects in the Berkshire mountain range, had filed an appeal rejected by the State of Massachusetts Division of Administrative Law Appeals. As of May, 2008, the project was still under review post environmental standards challenges.<ref>Stafford, Scott. [http://www.windaction.org/news/15653 "Florida, Monroe wind turbine project slows"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080704144118/http://www.windaction.org/news/15653 |date=2008-07-04 }} (May 5, 2008) Berkshire Eagle.</ref> The project began construction in early 2012 and was completed in December 2012.<ref>{{cite web|title=Hoosac fact sheet |url=http://iberdrolarenewables.us/pdf/hoosac-fact-sheet.pdf |date=December 3, 2012 |accessdate=January 15, 2014 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130818184451/http://iberdrolarenewables.us/pdf/hoosac-fact-sheet.pdf |archivedate=August 18, 2013 }}</ref>

==Project details==
The project consists of 19 [[GE Wind Energy]] 1.5 [[Megawatt|MW]] [[wind turbine]]s and is divided among two separate sites – nine turbines on Crum Hill in [[Monroe, Massachusetts|Monroe]], and ten on [[Bakke Mountain]] in [[Florida, Massachusetts]]. Each turbine produces 1.5 [[Megawatt|MW]], the site has a capacity to produce 28.5 [[Megawatt|MW]]; this is enough energy to supply approximately 10,000 average homes in the region annually. The towers are {{Convert|213|ft|m}} tall, with {{Convert|121|ft|m}} blades. From base to vertically positioned blade tip, they will be approximately {{Convert|334|ft|m}}. The turbines begin generating energy at wind speeds as low as {{convert|8|mi/h|km/h|abbr=on}}, and produce the maximum power output when winds blow above {{convert|30|mi/h|km/h|abbr=on}}. The maximum rotor speed is 20 rpm. The project was built with turbines manufactured at facilities all across the U.S. The power generated is delivered to the New England grid through the local utility [[National Grid plc|National Grid]].<ref>{{cite web| title =GE 1.5 MW wind turbine| url =http://geosci.uchicago.edu/~moyer/GEOS24705/Readings/GEA14954C15-MW-Broch.pdf| date = March 2009 | accessdate = January 15, 2014}}</ref>

===Environmental impact===
The Hoosac Wind Power Project offsets approximately 100 million pounds of carbon dioxide per year relative to conventional electricity generation. That is equivalent to the estimated annual emissions produced by 9,400 cars or consuming more than 112,000 barrels of oil.<ref>{{cite web|title=Hoosac fact sheet |url=http://iberdrolarenewables.us/pdf/hoosac-fact-sheet.pdf |date=December 3, 2012 |accessdate=January 15, 2014 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130818184451/http://iberdrolarenewables.us/pdf/hoosac-fact-sheet.pdf |archivedate=August 18, 2013 }}</ref>

===Economic impact===
Approximately US$257,000 in annual payments in lieu of taxes are made to the host towns (US$135,000 to [[Florida, Massachusetts|Florida]], $122,000 to [[Monroe, Massachusetts|Monroe]]), escalating with inflation, amounting to approximately US$6.8 million over the life of the agreement. In addition, the towns host turbines on town-owned land, which will generate approximately US$3 million in revenue over the life of the project. The project created 3 permanent jobs, 140 temporary construction jobs at peak, and purchase many products and services locally. To date, the project has generated 70,098 local labor hours and nearly US$3.8 million in local spending.<ref>{{cite web| title =Hoosac Wind| url =http://iberdrolarenewables.us/cs_hoosac.html| date = December 3, 2012 | accessdate = January 15, 2014}}</ref>

==See also==
{{stack|{{Portal|United States|Weather|Renewable energy}}}}
*[[Wind power in Massachusetts]]
*[[Wind energy]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.ppmenergy.com/ PPM Energy Homepage]
*{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20071011160314/http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=48393 Wind Turbines Not a Threat to U.S. Bird Population, Says Study]}}

{{Wind power in the United States}}

[[Category:Wind farms in Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Berkshire County, Massachusetts]]

Hoosac Wind Power Project - Revision history

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