Wind

About Wind Energy

Wind turbines harness wind energy to produce electricity that can be used to power homes and businesses across the Commonwealth. Wind power systems range from small turbines that power a single home or business to large, multi-turbine wind farms that feed into the grid and generate enough electricity to power thousands of Massachusetts homes.

A typical wind turbine consists of a tower, a rectangular box-like nacelle at the top of the tower which houses the generator, and a rotor, which consists of the turbine's hub and blades. Turbines generally require tall towers to access the higher wind speeds aloft and to avoid ground-level obstructions to wind flow, such as buildings or trees, which lower wind speeds.

A turbine's total height is commonly referred to as the blade tip height, which is the distance from the base of the tower to the tip of the blade at its highest point.

Wind projects can provide long-term benefits for building and facility owners and project developers in the form of price stability, savings on future energy costs and income generated by selling excess electricity.

Related Programs

Commonwealth Wind Program - MassCEC's Commonwealth Wind (CommWind) Program assists appropriately-sited wind energy development in Massachusetts that can help achieve the Commonwealth's goals for a clean environment and a robust economy.

Marine Commerce Terminal in New Bedford - The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center is undertaking the management of the development of the Marine Commerce Terminal in New Bedford.

Massachusetts As a First Customer - The Massachusetts As a First Customer program supports Massachusetts clean energy and water innovation technology companies looking for their first or early customers, as well as facilitating the adoption of new energy or water innovation technologies at public agencies, schools and communities across the Commonwealth. Massachusetts As a First Customer operates in a two-stage process, first working to assess the technical readiness of emerging technologies, and then working to connect the most viable technologies with the public entities looking to adopt them.

Production Tracking System - The Production Tracking System (PTS) is a database used by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) to track the production of renewable energy systems that are installed throughout the Commonwealth. The PTS provides MassCEC with the information necessary to monitor and evaluate the performance of renewable energy systems and the effectiveness of its renewable energy programs.

Wind Technology Testing Center - Wind turbine blade testing is a critical factor in maintaining high levels of reliability and evaluating the latest technological developments in airfoils and materials. Adequate testing will allow wind energy to be more competitive. In addition, blade testing is required as part of turbine certification to meet international design standards including IEC, GL, DNV. Meeting international standards allows developers to mitigate the technical and financial risk of deploying mass-produced wind turbines.