Kittery To Remove Wind Turbine

KITTERY (NEWS CENTER) -- After eight months, the town of Kittery is removing a wind turbine that officials say is not producing enough electricity.

The turbine is located on a hill at the Kittery Transfer Station. When it went into operation in October, town officials expected it to produce enough electricity to save about $15,000 a year. But town Manager Jon Carter says the 50-kilowatt turbine has fallen well short of the energy production goal.

Carter says from October through May the turbine produced less than 15 percent of what was expected. Carter says the problem appears to be "ground clutter" which causes significant wind turbulence. He says Entegrity Wind Systems acknowledges the issue and has agreed to refund the money paid for the project -- $191,000. The turbine was paid for in part by a $50,000 grant from the Public Utilities Commission.