Solar Design Associates, teamed with Cape Wind, Energy Management, and general contractor Jay Cashman and affiliate Patriot Renewables, LLC to design, engineer and install the first state-owned wind turbine in Massachusetts. It was CASHMAN'S first wind turbine construction project. The project is owned and operated by the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.

With its campus at the western mouth of the Cape Cod Canal, the Massachusetts Maritime Academy (MMA) enjoys the abundant endowment of wind resources available along the southeastern Massachusetts coast. Standing 248 feet tall, the MMA Vestas wind turbine has significantly reduced the need to purchase grid power energy by 27%. The turbine produces up to 660 kilowatts per hour and over its lifetime, the turbine will produce more than $7 million worth of electricity for the Academy. In addition to its significant cash contribution, the turbine will also make an important contribution to the Academy's curriculum by serving as a real-time teaching tool for the school's engineering cadets who make up more than 50% of the school's student body. The turbine has been used extensively as an educational tool for students and other professionals interested in renewable energy.


PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS 

• Turbine type: unity-scale grid-interconnected wind turbine, 248-feet tall, 660 kilowatts. 
• The Vestas turbine produces up to 660 kilowatts per hour. 
• The project is owned and operated by the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. 
• The turbine produces one third, or $300,000, of the Academy’s annual power needs. 
• The turbine was integrated into the curriculum by serving as a real-time teaching tool for the engineering students, who make up half of the student body. 
• This was the first state-owned commercial capacity wind turbine in Massachusetts.