Land-based windmills
Unlike the industrial-sized wind farm on Nantucket Sound, the small, land-based clusters of windmills make sense.

For those who can't possibly wrap their arms around the proposed mega wind farm on Nantucket Sound, here comes a much more palatable proposal: Build smaller, land-based wind turbines to power municipal facilities and save taxpayer dollars.

Officials in Barnstable, Harwich, Orleans and other Cape towns are drawing up plans to build small clusters of windmills to power everything from water treatment plants and municipal buildings to street lights and traffic signals.

At the Massachusetts Military Reservation, Air Force and Army Guard officials are studying the feasibility of using windmills to power groundwater extraction pumps, which are cleaning contaminated water at the Superfund site.

The proposals, if realized, would rejuvenate a centuries-old tradition of tapping wind energy to help power the Cape's economy. At one point, nearly 1,000 windmills lined the shores of Cape Cod, powering gristmills and salt works.

Unlike the industrial-sized proposal to build 130 wind turbines on Nantucket Sound, the land-based windmills would still have to clear local and regional zoning hurdles.

The construction of just one wind turbine on land most likely would be prohibited, for instance, in a residential neighborhood. Small clusters of windmills on land would also meet resistance if they marred scenic vistas.

That's why the proposal by local developer Stuart Bornstein to build up to six wind generators at Freezer Point, which overlooks Maraspin Creek and Barnstable Harbor, may raise objections from neighbors in Barnstable village.

Bornstein must now go before the zoning board of appeals for a height variance because a wind data tower could be as tall as 164 feet.

In most cases, however, the municipal land-based proposals, such as the one at the water pollution control center off Bearses Way in Hyannis, would not be as intrusive as the offshore project.

Cape Wind's proposal, with wind turbines as tall as the Statue of Liberty, would forever alter the scenic beauty of Nantucket Sound. And because the ocean is not zoned, the siting process is driven by the developer, not the government.

Nevertheless, the smaller initiatives still need a thorough review by the Cape Cod Commission and local authorities. For instance, regulators should determine potential noise and proximity to residential neighborhoods, migratory bird paths, and whether the land-based siting intrudes on special Cape vistas.

Overall, however, there is great potential for relying, once again, on smaller, land-based windmills to help power our economy and reduce air pollution from fossil fuel plants.

(Published: May 29, 2003)