Sisters Receive Christmas Present in the Form of Wind
SED completed the installation of a Northwind 100 at Mount Saint Mary’s Abbey in Wrentham, MA
Ontario, NY –Sustainable Energy Developments, Inc. (SED) knew their message of wind energy coexisting with everyday living was spreading when the company received a call from Sister Mariann Garrity of Mount Saint Mary’s Abbey in Wrentham, MA in 2007. Sister Mariann approached SED about the possibility of a wind project at the Monastery where she and nearly 50 other Cistercian Nuns live and work. On Wednesday December 23rd Sister Mariann and the rest of the Cistercian Nuns saw their wind project completed by SED.
During the week of the installation Sister Mariann purchased a prepaid cell phone so that SED’s Project Manager, Scott Abbett, could stay in touch while she tended to her daily responsibilities. Despite their cloistered lifestyle, that limits contact with the outside world, the Sisters at Mount Saint Mary’s Abbey are aware of rising electricity costs and of their own carbon footprint. The Cistercian Nuns try to live a self-sustaining lifestyle with fields full of grazing sheep, fruits and vegetables. They also own and operate a candy factory where they produce candy that is sold on their website and in their gift shop to raise money for bills and their limited outside necessities. The newly installed wind turbine will add to the Abbey’s self-sufficiency, offsetting more than 50% of their energy needs with wind generated electricity.
A feasibility study completed by SED in September of 2007, determined that a 100kW wind turbine would be the most cost effective fit for the Abbey. The Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust, now housed at the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, awarded the Abbey grants to help fund the feasibility study, design activities and the recently completed construction of the wind turbine. The Abbey received donations from local foundations and even sold some of their land in order to help fund the costs of the project. The Sisters will continue to hold fundraisers in an effort to pay off their remaining project obligations.
“It has been a pleasure working with the Sisters of the Abbey,” said Abbett. “I am very excited for them to add renewable electricity generation to their independent and self sustaining lifestyle.”
The wind turbine, a Northwind 100, is manufactured in Barre, VT by Northern Power Systems. This installation makes SED the only company to hold the distinction of completing five Northwind 100kW wind projects in the lower 48 states. SED’s 100kW installations include three other projects in Massachusetts, a small business on Cape Cod, a grade school in Medford and a research center in Falmouth. The fourth is at a hotel and is the first community scale wind turbine to be installed in New Hampshire. If ever there was a question about wind power coexisting with everyday living, SED along with its clients - small businesses, teachers, students, farmers, towns and now cloistered nuns - are answering that question.
SED is an Ontario, NY based decentralized wind power company that was founded in 2002 and has installed more than 3MW of wind projects throughout the Northeastern United States.