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A $50,000 study to determine whether building a wind turbine at the town dump would be beneficial to the town was approved by the Board of Selectmen on Tuesday.
The 500-killowatt turbine, which looks like a large windmill, would cost around $2 million to build, but according to Director of Public Works Richard White, about $1 million could be covered by state and federal grants. White added that the windmill could save taxpayers $350,000 by closing the gap between electricity generated already by the town's wastewater plant and electricity purchased by the town.
The study will explore whether any local, state or federal guidelines would prevent the turbine from being built at the dump, along with a cost-benefit analysis, what altitudes would make the turbine most efficient and what grants will be available to fund the turbine. The $50,000 cost of the study might be reimbursed by a state grant.
White told the selectmen that the turbine would be located at the dump to keep it away from residences and out of neighbors sight-lines. In addition, the site is near Long Island Sound, creating a good wind flow. White said he did not know of any other town in Connecticut that has a similar turbine, but did mention one in Hull, Mass., that is owned by the town and used in a similar way. Other wind turbines exist across the country, including one built at the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota.
"It's definitely something the town has to explore, to see if it's feasible and to understand it," First Selectman Ken Flatto told Fairfield Patch.
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