If you visit the “Wind Powered” section in the “Renewable Energy All Stars” part of the Green Lodging News website, you will find 15 U.S. properties listed. One of those listed is the Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort in Hancock, Mass. I first posted an article about the property back in 2008 when it marked the first anniversary of its 1.5-megawatt wind turbine. According to a spokesman for the property in 2008, the resort’s owners expected they would recover their $4.2 million investment in about eight to nine years based on the electricity rates at that time.
Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort just issued a press release this past week to announce that it is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its wind turbine. Brian Fairbank, Chairman of The Fairbank Group that runs the resort, says the 253-ft. high turbine paid for itself in seven years (in 2014 instead of the projected 2015-2016).
The size of Zephyr, the name of the turbine, is impressive. It stands at 253 feet tall and has three 123-foot blades. Including the blades, its height reaches 386 feet—higher than the Statue of Liberty. The system weighs 236 tons. The Nacelle, which holds the rotor assembly, weighs 60 tons and is the size of a school bus.
Getting the turbine up the mountain was a challenge. A two-mile-long road had to be improved and a crane had to be assembled at the site to erect the turbine. Once all of the parts and pieces were at the site, it took just three days to assemble it.
In 2007, the installation of the turbine was met with great fanfare, with music, flags, and speeches. Rotor bearings were replaced about 45 days into its service life, but since then, the turbine has run without major issues.
Now Powered 100 Percent by Renewable Energy
Combined with a 12-acre 2.3 megawatt (MW) solar field and 75 kWh cogeneration unit at the slopeside Country Inn at Jiminy Peak, the resort can now claim to be one of the few in the United States powered 100 percent by renewable energy.
Zephyr has become quite an attraction at the resort. Employees wear turbine pins and school groups visit to tour the site and view an educational documentary called “Forever Green.”
“It has been an exceptional, dependable power producer for us,” says Jiminy’s Jim Van Dyke, Vice President of Environmental Sustainability, and a veteran 43-year employee. “The turbine handles 33 percent of our energy needs on an annual basis, and up to 66 percent in the winter when the winds blow strongest.”
The investments in renewable energy are just one part of the resort’s overall sustainability strategy. They still want to reduce their carbon footprint even more. A couple of examples:
- Over 230 slopeside lights have been replaced with lighter, brighter, more energy efficient LED lighting covering 60 percent of the mountain. The difference has been likened to that between a manila envelope and a white envelope.
- Excess heat from two snowmaking compressors are used to warm three Village Center buildings, a total of 34,000 square feet, thus reducing propane and electricity consumption.
Click here to learn more about the resort’s other green initiatives.
How to Search on Our Website
Similar to other search engines you find online, a search using one word will produce articles with that word included. If you would like to search for something that is more than one word long—ozone laundry, for example—you will need to put quotation marks around the words or phrase. Ozone laundry would then be “ozone laundry” in the search.
Who is Your Sustainability Champion?
Green Lodging News is always looking to profile sustainability champions in our Personnel Profile section. If you would like to nominate someone for this section of Green Lodging News, contact me at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
Looking for Guest Columnists
Every two weeks Green Lodging News posts a new guest column on its website. (Click here for examples.) The guest column also appears in the weekly e-newsletter. Green Lodging News is currently in need of industry experts to contribute occasional guest columns. Experts may include consultants, architects, designers, suppliers and those who own or operate green lodging establishments. Columns may be articles that take a stance on a particular subject or be strictly educational in nature. Columnists benefit by having their photo included along with a one paragraph description of their company. Interested in writing a column? Contact Glenn Hasek, publisher and editor, at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
Planning Advertising for 2017?
Green Lodging News is accepting reservations for advertising spots for 2017. Many excellent spots are available on our new website, in the weekly e-mail newsletter, and Green Lodging Survey. Many Green Supplier Spotlight dates are also available. Interested in receiving a 2017 media kit? Be sure to contact me as soon as possible at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at editor@greenlodgingnews.com. Media kits can also be accessed by clicking here. Thank you to all of those companies that consistently support Green Lodging News.
Newsletter & Green Supplier Spotlight Circulation
The circulation of our weekly e-newsletter and Green Supplier Spotlight currently stands at 9,476. Thank you to our new subscribers for signing up. Be sure to encourage your colleagues to do the same. There are “subscribe” links on the Green Lodging News home page. You may also e-mail editor@greenlodgingnews.com to be added to our list.
Green Lodging News & Social Media
Green Lodging News now has 1,755 Twitter followers. Thank you to all of those who follow our tweets. In addition to following us on Twitter, be sure to bookmark the Green Lodging News Blog in your browser. More importantly, participate with your comments. Green Lodging News is also on Facebook. Be sure to “Like” us there. Green Lodging News now has 860 Facebook likes.
As always, I can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
