NEWBURY — The town will look at three locations as possibilities for a large wind turbine.
Using $8,800 allocated to Newbury by the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, the town's Alternative Energy Committee will retain a Beverly consulting firm to conduct three energy workshops and prepare an application to the Technology Collaborative for a full-scale feasibility study on three possible turbine sites.
The preliminary work will be done by Meridian Associates of Beverly, which was a consultant on the 292-foot turbine at Mark Richey Woodworking on Newburyport's Parker Street.
Richey's turbine stands prominently on the Newburyport skyline, and neighbors have pushed for more stringent zoning rules for future turbines built in Newburyport. Potential changes are being considered by a City Council subcommittee. Newbury currently has no turbines.
The study will determine whether any or all of the locations are feasible for a large-scale wind turbine.
The sites are the former town landfill on Boston Road, any location along the marsh and a 5-acre, town-owned parcel on Temple Boulevard East on Plum Island.
Alternative Energy Committee Chairman Gene Smith said the panel will specifically look at large turbines, not the small, single-home models.
"Small turbines don't deliver, big ones do," Smith said.
Energy Committee member Ron Barrett said a large wind turbine on the 5-acre Plum Island property could be an alternative to having the town sell the land.
The electricity generated by a large turbine could be a source of income for the town, he said. The turbine would take five years to pay for itself, he said, but would have a useful life of 20 years.
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