This locally owned nursery and gardening supply store is going green in a big way with the October 2008 installation of the largest wind turbine east of the Cape Cod Canal.
The Northwind 100 turbine, a 100-kW machine, is expected to supply more than 92% of the electricity used annually by Country Garden. It was designed and tested for use in extreme environments. Instead of a standard gearbox, it employs a variable-speed, permanent magnet, direct-drive generator/converter to provide for increased reliability and reduced noise levels. At the site just west of downtown Hyannis, it will sit on a ~40-meter tower.
Before installing the turbine, Country Garden installed energy-efficient lighting systems to reduce its consumption, and it committed to stocking an expanded line of organic and environmentally friendly products. It expects to realize a rapid payback on its investment in wind energy, facilitated by installation grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust Fund.
