Crystal L. Heide

February 12, 2010

After more than four years of discussions, city council meetings, and research, an official ground breaking ceremony took place on January 21 at 11:00 a.m. for the installation of a 100-kilowatt wind turbine at Phoenix Press in New Haven, Connecticut. The 150-foot turbine will provide Phoenix Press with approximately one-third of its annual energy needs, $35,000 in utility cost savings, and will be fully installed and in use by the end of February.

The idea for the installation came from Phoenix Press co-owner Brian Driscoll. While exploring different ways to cut costs at their facility, Driscoll consulted an Environmental Protection Agency employee who was monitoring wind speed and direction close to the press. Driscoll learned that the location of Phoenix Press, along the banks of the Quinnipiac River, provided sufficient wind speeds for a turbine. To harness the maximum amount of energy, Driscoll chose to purchase the turbine from Vermont-based Northern Power Systems, which used a NASA grant to design turbines specifically for isolated locations. The turbine is intended for low winds and can begin generating electricity from wind speeds of 6 mph.

At $500,000 per turbine, Driscoll needed assistance to make his wind power dream become reality. The Clean Energy Fund, which receives its funding from a surcharge on residential and commercial electric bills, provided the press with a $263,000 grant. Phoenix Press will receive an additional $150,000 from President Obama's renewable energy programs. This leaves the press with about $87,000 left to pay out of pocket. Driscoll expects to recover this investment within three years by selling the electricity generated by the turbine on nights and weekends when the press is closed back to the utility at the same rate the utility charges him during the day.

This turbine will be the largest in the state, and Driscoll hopes it will serve as "a visible reminder that clean, renewable energy is possible and that it works. Today is the day that marks our commitment to the environment in earnest." Clean Energy Fund President Lise Dondy echoes Driscoll's sentiment, stating "It is an exciting project not only because it will point Connecticut in a whole new direction in renewables, but also because it will go a long way toward raising awareness about clean energy alternatives, given the turbine's highly visible location. Drivers traveling over New Haven's Quinnipiac Bridge on I-95 will have a clear view of the wind turbine on the banks of the river."

While numerous printers offset their energy costs by purchasing wind energy credits, Phoenix Press is the first commercial printing plant in the country using on-site wind power for its energy needs. Driscoll is proud that his clients can now claim that their printing projects use green energy.

Sources

CT Environmental Headlines, Connecticut-based Printer Breaking Ground on Wind Turbine Project, http://environmentalheadlines.com/ct/2010/01/14/connecticut-based-printer-breaking-ground-on-wind-turbine-project/ (last visited Jan. 27, 2010).

Lisa Cross, Press to Install 100-Kilowatt Wind Turbine, Graphic Arts Online, Jan. 15, 2010, http://www.graphicartsonline.com/article/444396-Phoenix_Press_to_Install_100_Kilowatt_Wind_Turbine.php.

Jonathan Fahey, Wind Power: Can it Make a Profit?, Forbes Magazine, June 22, 2009 http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2009/0622/renewable-energy-wind-power-make-profit.html.

Thomas MacMillan, Wind Turbine Underway, New Haven Independent, Jan. 21, 2010, http://newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/wind_turbine_breaks_ground/.

Jackie Noblett, Printing Press to Build Largest Wind Turbine in Connecticut, Mass High Tech: The Journal of New England Technology, Jan. 14, 2010, http://www.masshightech.com/stories/2010/01/11/daily50-Printing-press-to-build-largest-wind-turbine-in-Conn.html.

Mary E. O'Leary, Local Business to Implement Wind Power, New Haven Register, Jan. 22, 2010, http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2010/01/22/news/new_haven/a3-newindmill.txt.

Press Release, Phoenix Press (Jan. 21, 2010), http://www.phoenixpressinc.com/new.html.

Sarah Vanderbilt, Approval Nears for City Wind Turbine, New Haven Independent, Aug. 22, 2008, http://newhavenindependent.org/archives/2008/08/pending_approva.php.