Projo Biz Blog

Journal photo/ Bob Thayer
BROTHER JOSEPH BYRON enters the wind turbine operating at the Portsmouth Abbey School. The windmill takes care of about 40 percent of the school's energy needs.

People's Power & Light, a non-profit energy company based in Providence, is sponsoring a Wind Turbine Festival at the Portsmouth Abbey school in Portsmouth on Saturday.

The free event runs from noon until 3 p.m. The school is at 285 Corys Lane in Portsmouth. There will be games, live music, exhibits and snacks.

The 240 ft. high wind turbine at Portsmouth Abbey is the largest commercial size turbine operating in Rhode Island. The 660 kilowatt turbine has produced over 2.6 million kilowatt-hours of electricity since it was erected on March 30, 2006. That represents about 40 percent of the school's electricity usage.

(2.6 million kilowatt-hours is enough energy to power 5,200 average New England homes for a month.)

People's Power & Light described the event as a "celebration of renewable energy." People's Power buys renewable energy certificates from the Abbey. The certificates, which represent the green power produced by the turbine, are sold to customers of the company's New England GreenStart program. Customers of that program pay an extra fee on their electricity bills each month to bring in more renewable energy to New England's power grid.

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