The U.S. Coast Guard has installed a 2.4-kilowatt turbine as part of a "green energy" effort at the Southwest Harbor base that includes solar energy and renewable heat sources, reports the Bangor Daily News. Sitting atop a 70-foot tower, the wind turbine will supply electrical power to a duplex housing unit on the base.
The Coast Guard also has installed a pellet boiler that provides heat and domestic hot water for the two homes in that unit, while solar panels provide electricity and charge batteries for backup power, and solar thermal tubes provide up to 80 additional gallons of hot water for those homes, according to the article.
Capt. James McPherson, the sector chief for Coast Guard Sector Northern New England, told the Bangor Daily News it's part of the Coast Guard's plan for a "net zero" home concept for base housing.
Lt. Ashley Thomas, the sector field officer for the base, also said in the article the wind turbine is part of a larger renewable energy push for the Coast Guard in Southwest Harbor.
System upgrades, including insulation improvements, also are on tap at the 10 duplex base housing unit, starting in October.
The Coast Guard is considering the use of wind power at other base housing units in Maine and at other sites around the country.
The U.S. Army and Navy also are making a big push to use renewable energy sources to help the Defense Department meet its internal goal of generating 25 percent of all energy from renewable sources by 2025.