By Marcia Parnell
After several years of planning and hard work, Town officials and the Energy Committee got some good news on March 4th. The State’s Department of Energy Resources (DOER) Green Communities division had approved an award of $139,500 to fund the Town Hall Small Wind Turbine Project. The 120-ft-tall, 15-kwh, small monopole turbine is to be placed behind the Town Hall and will generate enough power to offset the current energy needs of both Town Hall and a portion of the Highway Department garage. A balloon test to demonstrate height and public information meetings helped get locals on board. In order to fully cover the $186,000 total cost of installation and avoid Town expense, the project also relied on $46,500 in federal tax credits. Not a mere “nice to have,” the turbine project was formulated to help Becket meet the recent statewide renewable-electricity standard requiring every town to have 30% fossil-free energy generation by 2030.
The bad news? Energy Committee Vice Chair Cathy Defoe reports that the Committee has already been advised that Chinese tariffs will increase the cost of the monopole unit; but just how much at this point is unknown. Changing energy policy is also expected to eliminate the federal tax credits. For now Defoe, along with the rest of the Energy Committee and Town officials, is reviewing options for moving forward with the turbine. A less-expensive lattice turbine unit could be substituted, but it is considered less desirable. And the $46,500 gap in unit cost and installation expenses plus whatever additional funding may be needed will likely have to be borne by the Town and approved by voters at the Annual Town Meeting on May 10th.
