[diysolar]

At least a half-dozen Massachusetts cities, towns, or colleges are trying to build wind turbines to temper the rising costs of electricity. Eleven other communities are testing wind conditions to determine whether it would be worthwhile to build wind turbines, and nine more are looking for test tower sites, according to the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, which is helping communities launch the projects. Thirty-six other municipalities have expressed some interest in wind power, according to the collaborative.

''Any one project will make only a small difference," said Warren Leon, director of the Renewable Energy Trust, a division of the collaborative. ''But if five years from now there are community wind projects up in 15 or 20 communities across the state, collectively that will make a meaningful difference. On average, each project will probably generate enough electricity for close to 1,000 people."

Unlike the offshore wind project proposed for picturesque Nantucket Sound, most of the projects generate only limited opposition, probably because the projects are small and often remote. Hull is planning to build a second wind turbine on a landfill; Lynn, by its waste-water treatment plant; and Ipswich, near a transfer station.

All of the proposals would be dwarfed by the wind farm planned off the Cape and Islands: Cape Wind Associates wants to generate up to 428 megawatts of power, compared to 3.3 megawatts for Orleans' two windmills.

Cape Wind's turbines are proposed at 417 feet tall, compared to the 148-foot turbine the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 103 built near the Southeast Expressway in Dorchester.

Despite their delays, Cape Wind officials are thrilled to see smaller projects advance, in hope they will lessen fear of the unknown. ''From our standpoint, it's always helpful when wind turbines are erected elsewhere," said spokesman Mark Rodgers. ''Familiarity breeds greater acceptance."

Opponents of the controversial project argue that Cape Wind will always be different because it is proposed offshore and is being developed privately.

''The Cape Wind project is a site that's really driven by the developer to maximize profit, rather than being driven by the public interest," said Audra Parker, assistant director of the opposition group called the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound. ''There's a huge difference in scale between these municipally driven projects and the Cape Wind project, which is 24 square miles and 130 turbines."

Read more at [url]http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/02/24/wind_turbines_gaining_power/[/url]