September 1st, 2007
Let 'er blow, whales to wind, Hulluva idea!
Hull, Mass. is a windy place. Southeast of Boston it faces north, toward those winds that often come blasting down the Atlantic Coast. Lemons=lemonade, they say. And Hull’s making that wind energy pay off. They put up their first municipal wind-driven electricity generator in 2001. Now the town’s goal is too become entirely self-sufficient in generating all its needed electricty bu using windmills.
CNET’s Martin LaMonica put together a gallery of photos showing Hull’s wind farm, composed of windmills scattered about the small city. If Hull frees itself from the dependence on fossil-fuels and dams for electricity, it won’t quite be free as the breeze. It still has those windmills to maintain in a tough marine environment.
Hull has over ten thousand people scattered on coastal shoreline and sandbars in the Atlantic. You’d expect such folk to be especially sensitive to global warming’s threat of higher sea level. Cut to tour boat in 2100, “Folks, just beneath these waves once stood the town of Hull…” That’s a municipal nightmare that their windmills are aimed at helping to prevent. Also, the city saves a lot of money.
Hull’s hasn’t conquered all its environmental challenges. Right now the region is hurting froma drought. July and August were very dry months. Hullites and nearby communities are restricted from outside watering. The city is offering water conservation devices for residents.
Hull residents claim there’s almost no local opposition to their windmills. However, many other windmill projects do face strong opposition from local residents and groups concerned over wildlife sliced and diced by the big blades.
The aerial photo of Hull, Mass. is from the city’s official website.
A newsman since 1969, Harry Fuller has worked for CBS, ABC, CNBC Europe, CNET and was founding news director at TechTV. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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