The Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) has been working with ten communities in the North Shore region to provide technical and educational assistance for the siting of onshore wind turbines with the goal of increasing public acceptability for these projects. The goal of this work is to create an integration strategy for renewable energy into the regional growth strategy. The communities in the study include Beverly, Essex, Gloucester, Ipswich, Lynn, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Marblehead, Rockport, Salem and Swampscott.

The North Shore Wind project has generated considerable interest by communities around the North Shore. Both Swampscott and Gloucester have just appointed Renewable Energy Committees, which will allow them access to free technical assistance from the UMass Renewable Energy Lab to investigate potential wind turbine sites. Beverly, Rockport and Salem will have follow up presentations from the Community Wind Collaborative this summer, to learn more about the program and then consider appointing Renewable Energy Committees of their own. Working with Community Wind, Eastham, Falmouth, Orleans and Lynn have all appointed Renewable Energy Committees and erected MET towers to test wind sites. The Lynn City Council will consider adopting the MAPC-drafted wind turbine siting ordinance this summer. Read more and see the wind maps for the North Shore communities here...