Buckland has very expensive fuel, a well-run powerplant ideally suited for integration of wind turbines, and a strong desire to incorporate wind power to reduce their energy costs. In summer 2015, after ten years of study and planning, two 100 kW Northern Power Systems NPS100 wind turbines, plus a five mile distribution intertie to the village, were installed and are presently operational.
As preparation for installation of wind turbines, two wind studies were conducted in Buckland, first near the village and later in the hills approximately five miles west of the village. The wind resource near the village is modest but the “west hills” site is stronger at wind power class 3 to 4 (on a scale of 1 to 7). The west hills site was chosen as the location for the wind turbines.
V3 Energy LLC wrote a wind-diesel hybrid feasibility study report in 2011 that explored site, wind turbine, and design configuration options for Buckland. This feasibility study was later followed by a conceptual design report which included WAsP wind flow modeling from V3 Energy LLC. The feasibility and conceptual design studies concluded that a wind power project in Buckland was technically and economically viable.
Download Wind-Diesel Hybrid Feasibility Study
