American Wind Energy Association

Hull, MA, is a remarkable Massachusetts coastal community: since 2001 the town’s municipal light plant (HMLP) has owned and operated “Hull Wind I”, the largest wind turbine (660 kW) yet installed in the state. That project proved to be so popular that HMLP undertook to develop a second, larger wind turbine project (1.8 MW). This paper provides a description of the process that led to the acquisition of the second turbine, and the details of its successful installation. The “Hull Wind II ” project was developed by HMLP, with the assistance of the Renewable Energy Research Laboratory at the University of Massachusetts/Amherst. It was a continuation of the cooperation that led to Hull Wind I. The Hull Wind II project involved the following: 1) community involvement, 2) site selection, 3) resource assessment, 4) foundation selection, 5) economic projections, 6) turbine selection, 7) permitting, and 8) installation. This paper will discuss all of these topics. Community involvement involved outreach activities, public meetings and votes. Site selection involved evaluating a number of sites; a capped landfill was chosen. Resource assessment took advantage of the Hull Wind I experience, nearby data sites, and wind maps. Foundation selection was of particular concern because of the landfill site.