Alpha Energy in cooperation with the City of Crisfield and Bearing Construction have recently begun construction on the Eastern Shore’s first community scale wind turbine. The 302 foot tall American made wind turbine is being installed on Crisfield’s Waste Water Treatment Facility. The “Aeronautica 750” will offset 100% of the town’s municipal power demand making it one of the few municipalities in the country to be energy neutral (or Net-Zero). This announcement is a major milestone in the development of renewable energy facilities in Maryland. The Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) and Maryland Department of Environment played key roles in facilitating this project. Their leadership was crucial to bring this first of its kind project to the Eastern shore.
"The wind turbine will provide savings to the city while helping Maryland reduce air pollution, enhance reliability of wastewater treatment plants, and increase renewable energy,” said Dr. Mary Beth Tung, Director of the MEA. “MEA's support of Crisfield’s community wind project with a $1.1 million grant, highlights the Hogan Administration's commitment to projects that save money, create jobs for Marylanders and help the environment. Such projects are a win for all involved."
Crisfield’s Waste Water Treatment Facility (WWTF) is ideally suited for a community scale wind turbine and has passed all of our prescreening criteria, according to Alpha Energy’s President Marcellous Butler. Pre-industrialized sites like a WWTF are idea for renewable energy applications. WWTFs are energy & property intense components of a town’s infrastructure that do not require the removal of any green space to make way for green energy. Moreover, Crisfield has secured a low cost and a renewable source of its energy for the next 25 years." The general public has been very supportive of our projects. It’s human nature to be concerned about nature but this project is actually a matter of dollars and cents so its benefits are really two-fold,” Butler said. The excellent wind resource and pre-existing electrical infrastructure coupled with the open area and a high electrical demand of a WWTF make this site ideal.
Construction, electrical interconnection tests and full wind turbine commissioning will be conducted over the next few weeks.
It is difficult to overstate the value this project brings to the area. In addition to new jobs and an inexhaustible source of clean power, this turbine installation will help to de-mystify wind power. That knowledge and experience will help propel the larger projects planned 12 miles out in the Atlantic off of Ocean city. Maryland is poised to participate in the largest energy transition in modern history by bringing offshore wind industries and jobs to Maryland. This project will help the general public envision that opportunity and shore it up as a reality.
About Alpha Energy
Alpha Energy is a leading developer of community-scale renewable energy. Alpha partners with local utilities, municipalities and landowners to develop mutually beneficial wind and/or solar energy projects. Alpha’s model integrates regional objectives and local concerns into a singular cohesive development process to bring clean energy and prosperity into the communities they serve. (Founded in 2008) Alpha Energy has delivered clean wind and solar energy to communities while maintaining an uncompromising commitment to long-term project quality. Alpha Energy is actively developing over 250 megawatts of clean, renewable energy in 4 states throughout the Mid-Atlantic, central United States, the Caribbean and Morocco. For more information about Alpha Energy, please visit www.alpha-energy.com
