DEDHAM - A Parks and Recreation commissioner is proposing the town use homespun, green-friendly energy to light one of its playing fields.
Parks and Recreation Commissioner Donald Reisner says the town should use a hybrid wind system to provide electricity for lighting at Rustcraft Field.
"They say wind power is the future, but I say the future is now," Reisner said last week.
Reisner is seeking $57,046 from the town's capital budget to plant a 90-foot-high wind turbine at Rustcraft Field.
Reisner said 90 percent of that cost for the turbine would eventually be paid for by state grants, and that using wind power will save the town roughly $3,000 a year in electricity costs for lighting Rustcraft Field.
Reisner said he's working with the Conservation Commission to determine the best location for the turbine, which would be connected to the town's utility grid, but that he is eyeing the side of the field near the batting cages as a potential spot.
Reisner added that the project would require a variance from the Zoning Board of Appeals because the turbine would be higher than 40 feet, and that he also wants to discuss the turbine with neighbors.
"But I don't think it would be too intrusive," he said.
Town Administrator William Keegan said he plans to recommend to the Capital Expenditures Committee that money for the wind turbine be set aside in next fiscal year's capital budget.
"I think it's a good idea," said Keegan, explaining that wind power is "an environmentally safe way to trim our electricity costs."
Simply put, a wind turbine works the opposite of a fan. Instead of using electricity to make wind, turbines use wind to make electricity. The wind turns the blades, which spin a shaft connecting a generator, and makes electricity that is stored in eight high-voltage batteries.
Utility-scale turbines range in size from 100 kilowatts to as large as several megawatts. Larger turbines can be grouped together into wind farms, which provide bulk power to an electrical grid.
Single smaller turbines, like the one Reisner is proposing for Rustraft Field, can provide enough energy for small homes or telecommunications dishes, and can last for more than 100 years.
An increase in the availably of government grants that pay a percentage of the cost of wind turbines and other green energy technologies has made them more affordable, Reisner said.
Reisner said if the wind turbine works at Rustraft Field, that he hopes to later erect one at Memorial Field.
Daily News staff writer Ryan Halliday can be reached at 781-433-8336, or by e-mail at rhallida@cnc.com.
DEDHAM - A Parks and Recreation commissioner is proposing the town use homespun, green-friendly energy to light one of its playing fields.
Parks and Recreation Commissioner Donald Reisner says the town should use a hybrid wind system to provide electricity for lighting at Rustcraft Field.
"They say wind power is the future, but I say the future is now," Reisner said last week.
Reisner is seeking $57,046 from the town's capital budget to plant a 90-foot-high wind turbine at Rustcraft Field.
Reisner said 90 percent of that cost for the turbine would eventually be paid for by state grants, and that using wind power will save the town roughly $3,000 a year in electricity costs for lighting Rustcraft Field.
Reisner said he's working with the Conservation Commission to determine the best location for the turbine, which would be connected to the town's utility grid, but that he is eyeing the side of the field near the batting cages as a potential spot.
Reisner added that the project would require a variance from the Zoning Board of Appeals because the turbine would be higher than 40 feet, and that he also wants to discuss the turbine with neighbors.
"But I don't think it would be too intrusive," he said.
Town Administrator William Keegan said he plans to recommend to the Capital Expenditures Committee that money for the wind turbine be set aside in next fiscal year's capital budget.
"I think it's a good idea," said Keegan, explaining that wind power is "an environmentally safe way to trim our electricity costs."
Simply put, a wind turbine works the opposite of a fan. Instead of using electricity to make wind, turbines use wind to make electricity. The wind turns the blades, which spin a shaft connecting a generator, and makes electricity that is stored in eight high-voltage batteries.
Utility-scale turbines range in size from 100 kilowatts to as large as several megawatts. Larger turbines can be grouped together into wind farms, which provide bulk power to an electrical grid.
Single smaller turbines, like the one Reisner is proposing for Rustraft Field, can provide enough energy for small homes or telecommunications dishes, and can last for more than 100 years.
An increase in the availably of government grants that pay a percentage of the cost of wind turbines and other green energy technologies has made them more affordable, Reisner said.
Reisner said if the wind turbine works at Rustraft Field, that he hopes to later erect one at Memorial Field.
Daily News staff writer Ryan Halliday can be reached at 781-433-8336, or by e-mail at rhallida@cnc.com.
