Wind turbines popping up left and right

NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. (WPRI) - With several wind turbines already up and running in the Ocean State, a new one may be going up right next to the athletic complex at North Kingstown High School.

The turbine spins in the savings on the New England tech campus, North Kingstown High is already thinking about getting one of their own.

To help calculate the costs and benefits of a new turbine, the school brought in South Kingstown based ASA. Senior principal Daniel Mendelson thinks the environmental benefits are great, but the savings are even better.

"None of this would happen if it was not an economic benefit for the municipality. It's straight offset of taxes," said Mendelson.

The turbine would cost about 4 million to put up, but with utility savings of about half a million a year, the payoff time would be about 15 years. After that it's pure profit.

Profit which could add up in the millions, and while the response has been very positive so far, the town promises to listen to any neighborhood concerns.

Construction on the turbine could start as early as next fall.