Many people associate "seafaring" with the town of Gloucester, Massachusetts, given its history as a commercial and recreational port. Like most seaports with a lineage going back to the presteam era, when brigs, cutters, and catboats relied on sailpower to propel them forward, Gloucester can be a windy burg.

So it was a pleasant surprise when early last year I heard about Varian Semiconductor Equipment's plans to set up a couple of wind turbines to help power its Gloucester implanter factory. As a result, I wrote a short news story that appeared in the April 2006 issue of MICRO.

I recently contacted Rick Johnson, VSEA's director of facilities, to get an update. Based on what I reported last year, the project is progressing, but not as quickly as originally planned. There are also some key approvals pending in the next weeks and months. Here's what Rick told me via email.

"Varian has been moving forward with its project to install two 1.5--2.5-megawatt wind turbines for onsite energy generation. To date, Varian has received Federal Aviation Administration, Gloucester Conservation Commission, Gloucester Historic Commission, and Gloucester Zoning Board of Appeals approvals. We have also had a system impact study performed by National Grid, who concluded that, 'the project will not have adverse impact on the National Grid transmission system, except for some minor metering upgrades and the need for the customer to install equipment to facilitate dispatch. It will also not have adverse impact on the distribution system.'

"Varian is scheduled to appear before the Planning and Development Standing Committee of the Gloucester City Council on Wednesday, January 17, for a height exception. If approved at this hearing, Varian will then be heard by the entire city council within 30 days. With city council approval, Varian will apply to the Gloucester Planning Board for their approval for construction in the watershed overlay district. Almost all of the company’s headquarters property is located within the watershed overlay district, so nearly every project we have done at this location requires this approval. We anticipate that hearing will go smoothly, based upon past history.

"Eleven citizens appealed the Gloucester Conservation Commission’s ruling for Varian’s project to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (one of the turbines is scheduled to be constructed within 100 feet of a wetland). A field investigation by the regional environmental analyst is scheduled for January 24 to determine if the area is significant to the interests of the Wetlands Protection Act and to informally discuss the relevant issues with parties to the appeal. We hope to resolve this issue soon and move forward.

"Varian has received four bids for the work, and continues to review these bids as well as data on which size turbine will best support our wind resource. With expected approvals in early 2007, we hope for construction to begin in June/July 2007. Depending on the manufacturer and model turbines we choose, delivery may occur as long as 12--30 months after the purchase order is placed. There is a worldwide push for renewable energy, specifically wind energy, which has strained manufacturer’s capacity to deliver product more quickly.

"In early December I visited a German manufacturer (Fuhrlander) and toured their facility and several wind projects in the area. Specifically, we visited the site of the tallest wind turbine (160-meter tower, 2.5 MW) in the world. I am happy to report this newest equipment was generating per specifications. We are very interested in this turbine on an 85-meter tower. We are presently having a third party review our 18 months of collected wind data to ensure our wind resource will support this size turbine."