IBEW Local 103 Wind Turbine Installation

On the morning of May 5, 2005, a MEC crew met outside the Local Union Hall in Dorchester, MA to begin the two day installation of a 149 foot tall, 100 kW wind turbine. MEC’s work consisted of:

• Installing all the electrical wiring
• Installing the cables from the nacelle (generator) to the foundation
• Connecting the data and speed controls
• Setting the tower base and top tower
• Assembling the blade
• Installing the nacelle
• Start-up testing

The wind generator produces enough electricity to power thirty five homes annually. However, for the Local Union Hall, it supplies thirty – five percent of the electricity to run the twenty classrooms, ten shops, boardroom and auditorium of the three-story training facility. The entire installation took approximately six weeks, from pouring the foundation to the final step of installing the generator and finalizing all electrical connections.

The wind turbine joins the facade-mounted solar electric array, which was installed in 2002.