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Peaks Wind Testing Tower Set for Delivery
February 6, 2010
 
Thanks to the generosity of Peaks Islanders who contributed to our fundraising effort in January for the wind testing tower’s insurance premium, the wind group of PEAT believes it is back on track now to have the tower set up by early spring in Trott-Littlejohn Park. The tower is temporary, and will most likely reside there for a year gathering wind data that will show whether a small wind project on the island might be economically viable.
 
The 100’ tall meteorological tower will be set up in the upper rear portion of the park by a contractor hired by the University of Maine.  Small anemometers at two heights will record wind velocity, a small vane will record wind direction and a thermometer will record temperature data, all of which will be analyzed by the University of Maine.
 
The met tower will be supported by three sets of guy wires anchored into the ground.  Dr. Mick Womersley of Unity College has volunteered to bring his students down to do the pull testing required by the safety report.  A generous City employee is loaning us his chain-link kennel fence, which we will use to surround the tower itself.  The lower portion of the outer guy wires will be flagged so that they are easily visible by walkers and skiers.  We will attach a sign to the fence explaining the purpose of the tower and asking people to stay clear.
 
The process of obtaining this equipment was lengthy because:
 
  • The Portland Planning Board had to develop an ordinance that would enable residents to erect wind testing apparatus in the City that exceeds the 35’ height restriction.
  • Our first supplier, Unity College, did not receive funding as anticipated. We then had to apply for a tower from the University of Maine in a competitive process.
  • We were chosen for a tower, but it was of different design, thus requiring a new safety report, the format of which had to be approved by the City of Portland.
The City is in the process of drafting a wind turbine siting ordinance. Meanwhile you may have seen press about the Vinalhaven project, some of it apparently inaccurate:
 
We thank islanders for your support, patience and interest as we waded through this process. If you would like to participate in our group, please contact us. No special expertise is required, just a minimal amount of time and some interest. Additional information is available on the PEAT website.
 

October 17, 2009:

  • On August 3rd, the Portland City Council gave its unanimous approval to a text amendment allowing "temporary wind anemometers" to be set up where normally a 35' height restriction would apply.
  • PEAT applied for a conditional use permit using the new language in order to erect a tower in Trott-Littlejohn Park, and on Sept. 3rd the Zoning Board of Appeals voted unanimously to approve our permit.
  • PEAT walked the area with a PILP member knowledgeable about the location of trails to make sure the tower and associated guy wires would not present a hazard to outdoor recreationists and identified the most suitable location for the tower.  A generous clearance was provided from the Community Garden project also being developed in a nearby area of the property.  The future tower's location was logged using GPS.
  • We applied for the necessary building permit and it was issued to us on September 29th.  The permit is valid for six months.
  • Unfortunately it became apparent by September that Unity College was not going to receive a met tower for us to use due to the fact that all the stimulus money allocated for this purpose was instead going to the University of Maine / Orono.
  • As soon as the University of Maine's Request for Proposals became available we began the application process in the hopes of securing one of the five 34 meter met towers which will be made available on a competitive basis.  Our application is due on Oct. 30th.
  • We are hopeful that we will be one of the tower recipients and that a tower will be in place later this fall.

July 3, 2009:

  • We have given ourselves a name (at least until something better comes along).  We are now the Peaks Wind Group.
  • The Planning Board of the City of Portland has sent conditional use language to the City Council which will allow for wind testing generally in the City.  23 of 26 comments received from Peaks Island residents were made in support of the new language.  Thank you!  The Council is expected to vote on this zoning amendment at its 7 pm meeting on Monday, Aug. 3rd.
  • In the mean time we are preparing an application to the Zoning Board of Appeals which would allow Unity College to put up the met tower once the Council has approved the new language.
  • We are in the process of applying for a grant that would cover the cost of the required liability insurance while the tower is up, and a performance guarantee that it will be taken down. 
  • PEAT is now a non-profit in the eyes of Maine, but has not yet acquired 501-(C)-3 status.  We are looking for a kindly attorney who might be willing to donate the time necessary to acquire this status.  Any willing hands out there?
  • Our Core Group would welcome new members.  Currently on board are Albert Presgraves, Mary Terry, Mike Langella, Suzy Kane, Howard Pedliken, Cynthia Cole, Bob Clark and Sam Saltonstall.  If you would like to help out, call Sam (899-0922).
  • We are planning a summer informational event for August to update everyone on our progress, particularly summer people who may not yet be aware of our effort.  Stay tuned!
  • PEAT has a new website, greenerpeaks.org, where you can keep up with our work.  Click on "Wind Power"  and you will find a new "who, what, where, when, why" document which explains in detail what we are about.    Please share this resource with summer friends who may not yet be familiar with our initiative.
  • Finally, The Peaks Island Council is hosting an open meeting with the City Council at 10 am on Saturday, July 11th.  Council members will be out here to learn about issues of concern to islanders.  It would be great if they heard from half a dozen or so folks that we are counting on them to pass the conditional use zoning amendment described above.

If you would like to receive occasional updates like the above via email, contact saltonstallsam@yahoo.com with your request.

June 13, 2009:  Portland Planning Board Holds Meetings on Proposed Met Towers
 
On May 26th, the Portland Planning Board held a workshop to consider a text change to most city Zones to allow the temporary installation of towers for wind anemometers.  Met towers, as they are called, are under consideration for two City owned properties:  East End Community School and Trott-Littlejohn Park on Peaks Island.  
The Planning Board invited comments from the audience during the workshop.  Several Peaks residents spoke in favor of the wind testing idea, none against.  Additionally, of 27 written comments received prior to the workshop from Peaks residents, 24 were in favor of the wind testing.
 
At its next meeting on June 23rd at 7 pm, the Planning Board is expected to vote on newly drafted height exemption language that would enable a met tower to be set up in Trott-Littlejohn park for a year in order to determine whether there is a sufficient wind resource to justify consderation of a small wind turbine project on Peaks. 
 
The new language will reportedly be up on the City's website some time on Friday, June 19th.
 
The Board's recommendation will probably go to the Portland City Council for a vote in July.
 
The siting of permanent wind energy systems will be addressed in a separate wind ordinance for the City which is under development.   
 
March 26, 2009: 
Last night the Peaks Island Council unanimously approved a resolution supporting the testing of the wind on Peaks and asking the Portland City Council for its support as well.  The text  of the PIC resolution is printed below if you are curious.  We will now be looking for City Council support of wind testing on Peaks, which will hopefully come in the form of a height exemption for a wind testing tower.
 
The data will then be analyzed by Unity College at no cost, and if the potential for power generation seems good, it could then be matched to several turbines of similar size in order to see which turbine can produce the most power given the wind resource.  The analysis will  be provided by Unity as it trains its students for work in the wind power industry.
 
Though the tower can be set up as tall as 60 meters, it can also be turned into a smaller rig if necessary to match siting requirements.  The tower will be supported by guy wires which come down to four points where they are anchored into the ground.  We are aware that Trott is used for hiking and skiing in the winter, and would like to hear from you if you have particular concerns about the testing tower so that we can try to factor those into the siting process.  We believe that we can be a compatible neighbor for the contemplated community garden.
 
There will be no cost to PEAT for the preparation of the exemption from the 35' height restriction.  It will need to be considered first by the Planning Board and then voted on by the City Council.  We thank Energy and Environmental Sustainability Committee Chair David Marshall for his assistance with these procedural matters.
 
Trott-Littlejohn Park looks to be the site of choice for the testing.  There are no conservation easements on this City owned land.  Unity College hopes to be able to compare the data collected there with data from a Maine Forest Service anemometer at the transfer station, the system at Tom Bohan's home, which has good exposure to winter winds on the West side of the island, and nearby weather buoys.  We hope to get the met tower in place by some time this summer.  Wind direction, speed, and the frequency with which it blows at different velocities will all be recorded for at least a year.