FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                           July 19 , 2006

Contacts:         Morgan Devlin                                Kathy Heydt

                      Newport Restoration Foundation        Portsmouth Abbey School
                      401-849-7300 x14                          401-643-1205

                      morgan@newportrestoration.org         heydt@portsmouthabbey.org

Wind Energy Program Compares Historic and Cutting Edge Power Sources

(Newport, RI)  Participants in a tour on wind energy offered by two local organizations will learn the key role wind power played in the history of Aquidneck Island and the vital part it can play in its future.  The two energy sources are the Newport Restoration Foundation’s circa 1812 windmill and the Portsmouth Abbey’s brand new wind turbine.  In addition to comparing the different technology of the two sources, the program will explore the increasingly popular idea of a return to wind energy.

Wind Energy Past and Future will be held on Thursday, July 27 at 5:30 pm.  The tour begins at the historic Sherman Mill located at Prescott Farm, 2009 West Main Road, Middletown.  Participants will then drive to Portsmouth Abbey at 285 Corey’s Lane, Portsmouth, to visit the wind turbine.  The workshop fee is $10.  Space is limited, and reservations can be made at (401) 324-6090 or by email at lisa@newportrestoration.org.

Originally built in Warren, R.I. for the distillery trade, the Sherman Windmill is a smock mill with two sets of grinding stones, a unique construction that made it possible to run the mill constantly.  Moved several times during its active years –  a common practice because this valuable machinery was easier to move than to build new – the windmill was eventually abandoned as technology changed.  Purchased by the Newport Restoration Foundation, it was moved to Prescott Farm and restored between 1970 and 1972.  The mill is open to the public through tours of Prescott Farm, a 37-acre site of 18th and 19th century history.

Operational in April of this year, the Portsmouth Abbey wind turbine is the first of its kind to be built on a school campus in New England and one of a handful nationwide.  Portsmouth Abbey School which previously purchased approximately two million kWh per year estimates that the turbine will supply nearly half of its energy this year.  Any excess energy generated will be shared with the community through the electric grid.  During the first three months of operation, the Portsmouth Abbey School wind turbine generated 300,000 kWh of power.  The small commercial wind turbine stands 240 feet with giant blades accounting for 77 feet of the height. 

 

The Newport Restoration Foundation was founded in 1968 by Doris Duke, an heiress, and preservationist who made Newport her summer home. The Foundation is a non-profit institution who mission is to preserve, interpret, and maintain landscape and objects reflecting Aquidneck Island’s 18th and 19th century architectural culture.  The foundation is actively engaged in educational efforts, scholarly research and historical preservation.  www.newportrestoration.org

 

Portsmouth Abbey School is a coeducational boarding and day school for students in grades 9-12. Founded in 1926 by the English Benedictine community, the school is located on a 200-acre historic property along the shores of Narragansett Bay. www.portsmouthabbey.org

 

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