The Department of Veterans Affairs has recently performed a ceremony to dedicate a new wind turbine installed at the Massachusetts National Cemetery.
The 50 kW and 120-foot tall wind turbine will generate enough power to meet nearly 95% of the yearly power usage of the cemetery thus allowing the cemetery to manage its functions utilizing renewable energy.
The wind turbine project is a part of the energy conservation efforts of Veteran Affairs,which includes the use of renewable energy, energy and water conserving measures and introduction of metering systems. The wind turbine project was financed from $553,000 funding received through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The other renewable energy initiatives of VA include cogeneration technologies, wind and solar technology systems generating over 9 MW of clean power.
The VA currently manages one geothermal and one wind turbine power production facility each, six combined heat and power (CHP) systems and 17 solar power production facilities. In the financial year 2011, VA intends to complete seven complete solar energy projects, six geothermal systems, two wind turbine installations and one renewable CHP system. It is looking forward to finishing 19 more projects before the close of the financial year. Once completed, the FY 2011 projects of VA will generate around 46 million kWh of power every year meeting the power needs of around 4,100 homes in the USA.
Source: http://www.cem.va.gov/