By Jacqueline Reis TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF jreis@telegram.com

The giant tower on Granite Street in Worcester may have looked like a paralyzed pinwheel over the weekend, but today it is expected to whirl gracefully into local history books.

Holy Name Central Catholic Junior Senior High School has completed its wind turbine, the first in Worcester, and it is expected to start working this week. It passed its tests last week and only awaits a communication line to its electric meters, said Holy Name president Mary E. Riordan.

It's awesome when you drive up the driveway. It's beautiful to see" said Mrs. Riordan, a former science teacher who brought up the idea four years ago in hopes of reducing the school's energy costs. Using sensors and computers, the turbine will automatically rotate to face the direction of the wind, and the blades will adjust themselves to best capture the breeze. The turbine stops and locks in place when wind speeds reach more than 55 mph.

The turbine should generate enough electricity for the entire school.
The project, including the early research and the last stages of construction, will cost close to $1.7 million. The school had financial and other help from a variety of sources, including then-Worcester Polytechnic Institute students Hans Erik Jensen, Brian Foley, Tyler Forbes and Adam Young; the Sisters of St. Anne (the order that founded Holy Name); the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative; private foundations; the Diocese of Worcester; and U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern, D-Worcester.

Sustainable Energy Developments of Ontario, N.Y., was the project and construction manager. Once the first section of the tower was up, an average of five to 10 cars an hour stopped by to see what was going on, said Kevin M. Schulte, co-founder and vice president of business development for Sustainable Energy.

Spectators won't have to get too close to check it out: The turbine measures 262 feet to the tip of its tallest blade and is visible from Route 146, Interstate 290 and as far away as the second floor of Worcester Polytechnic Institute's Gordon Library, according to WPI.

Donations Welcome:

Send to:

Mary Riordan, President
Holy Name CCHS
144 Granite St.
Worcester, MA. 01604