NBC station WJAR, channel 10, received a $39,690 grant from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative to study the feasibility of installing a wind turbine at its TV transmitter facility in Rehoboth, Mass. WJAR President/General Manager Lisa Churchville said the station is pleased to receive this grant and excited to start the work. "We are grateful to the members of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative for funding this exploration of the use of alternative sources of electricity for our facility," she said. A wind turbine would save the station energy costs and provide an opportunity to educate the public about the benefits of renewable energy through sites tours and school-based forums.
The WJAR transmitter site covers 156 acres, with two towers, a building, and an adjacent open field. The grant will fund measurement on-site wind resources. The grant will also cover an economic analysis, assessment of electrical interconnection, permitting, the potential for wind-turbine interference with TV transmissions (in certain locations, the rotating blades of a turbine can reflect TV signals and create multipath), and wind turbine visualization, according to the The NBC 10 article.
WJAR engineer Mark McMillan will work with Boreal Renewable Energy Development on the project, which is expected to take about four months.
