It has been a couple of years….close to 3 actually, I think…and we have grown accustomed to how those wind turbines look from different angles all around town. I’d say that we almost don’t even notice them anymore, but that’d be a lie. We do. We still notice them. Actually, my boys notice them enough to pay attention each weekday morning at about 7:25 and most afternoons around 4:45 to see how many (if any) are “spinning”.
They’ve been asking me off and on, for a long time, to explain why sometimes none are moving, sometimes just one, and sometimes 2 or even all 3 are in operation.
I’ve guessed that they operate as needed. But I haven’t been able to satisfy their curiosity completely. Does a person actually turn them on as necessary? Do they turn themselves on? Is there a schedule we have not yet noticed? How much does weather actually play a role? What’s the deal?
I’d love some help from our highly knowledgable FOBs!
Help a kid (or two) out if you’re in the know and have a second.
Thanks in advance!
Good Morning Gloucester 
I have questions about the turbines too. Who owns these? Who or what companies benefit from these?
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I think those are great questions. I’d also like to know how they are impacting the City economically. We heard projections when they were being installed but I’m not aware of any updates since they have been fully functional. Thanks!!
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The largest one is owned by Varian (Applied Materials). The bearing are shot so it’s not spinning.
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The largest wind turbine is owned by Varian Semiconductor Equipment, a business unit of Applied Materials. We have had a generator bearing problem for quite some time and had to shut the turbine down on September 25. Service technicians have been working on the issue.
The turbines can be off at any time for a number of reasons:
– wind speed too low or too high
– regular maintenance
– fire & rescue training
– mechanical or electrical issues
– to avoid shadow flicker (http://www.masscec.com/content/shadow-flicker)
The Varian turbine is monitored, per contract, 24 hours a day. It can be shut done automatically or manually. It is more “sensitive” to the wind than the other two turbines due to the fact it is larger, in tower height / rotor diameter / generator size, than the other two turbines. The Varian turbine sits on a 100 meter tower with a 100 meter rotor & a 2.5 megawatt generator. All of the electricity generated by this turbine is used onsite at Varian.
The other two wind turbines are owned by Equity Industrial Partners (owners of the Gloucester Engineering building). I believe the other two turbines sit on 77 meter towers with 77 meter rotors & 2.0 megawatt generators. The city has a Power Purchase Agreement to sell all of the electricity generated to the city. You can view the contract at the following website: http://www.gloucester-ma.gov/DocumentCenter/Home/View/1125.
I hope this helps answer your questions. Feel free to email me at any time.
Regards,
Rick Johnson
Director of Facilities
Varian Semiconductor Equipment | Silicon Systems Group | Applied Materials
rick_johnson@amat.com
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Fantastic information, Rick! Thank you so much for taking the time to provide those facts. My boys like to envision something like one of those thermometers that people use during fundraising campaigns to keep track of $ raised and to see how close they are to reaching the goal…. They imagine that if the red on the thermometer is “low” the wind turbines hurry up and kick into gear. Once the red on the gauge fills to the top, the wind turbines shut down and take a break. Then again, they are 8 and 6. 😉 The link to view how much electricity is generated to the city is great! I very much appreciate your input.
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My mother keeps asking the same question, so it would be great to have an answer to give her. I thought they were all owned by Applied Engineering. I also understood that there was to be some positive economic impact for Gloucester, and seem to recall some $60,000 amount mentioned after their first year of operation.
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The turbines are just as much an intrusion on the beauty of Cape Ann as ever. Thousands of people who don’t benefit from them in any way are forced to have their view scarred for who knows how long and other towers have gone up around them to seal the fate of the once beautiful hill at the gateway to Gloucester and Rockport. Even today most people assume they receive some direct benefit from the turbines when in truth two huge corporations are the ones who benefit. I believe The City benefits in the form of “energy credits” that the city(not the public) uses. I’m not sure if the credits are gifted to The City or the law requires they be paid. During the building of the turbines it was unclear who owned them and who would receive the benefit but in my mind there is no amount of “restitution” that would make up for the destruction of Cape Ann’s natural beauty.
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