Printer installs 100-kilowatt wind turbine on banks of Quinnipiac
NEW HAVEN — An Elm City printing company will soon alter the landscape of New Haven Harbor when it erects a towering, 150-foot wind turbine on its waterfront property this month.
Phoenix Press, which operates a 60,000-square-foot facility on James Street near the mouth of the Quinnipiac River is expected to install the final pieces of the turbine, the nacelle and blades, on February 17.
The $500,000 project represents the largest wind turbine installed to date in Connecticut. When operational, the 100-kilowatt unit is expected to generate as much as one-third of Phoenix Press’ electricity needs, saving the company up to $35,000 annually.
When the turbine goes online, it will make Phoenix Press the first printer in the U.S. to print using energy generated by on-site wind power from a large-scale wind turbine.
Founded in 1982 by the Driscoll brothers, Phoenix Press today employs about 45 workers. At a January 21 groundbreaking for the turbine, Phoenix co-founder Brian Driscoll was described by niece Lynn Mathis as “an ex-hippie from back in the day. This is his ‘green’ child,” she said.
As is true of many projects in the still-nascent green economy, the Phoenix Press installation would not have made economic sense without subsidies from above. The Connecticut Clean Energy Fund (CCEF), which is funded by electricity ratepayers in the state, is paying slightly more than one-half the cost of the project.
“We are so thrilled to be a part of this change in not only our company’s history, but to leave our indelible mark on New Haven’s skyline and help change the environment for the positive at the same time,” said Brian Driscoll. “The dream my brother Kevin and I had is finally becoming a reality, and we couldn’t be happier.”
Added CCEF President Lisa Dondy: “It is an exciting project not only because it will point Connecticut in a whole new direction in renewables, but also because it will go a long way toward raising awareness about clean energy alternatives, given the turbine’s highly visible location.”
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