BY ALLISON STICE

REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN

TORRINGTON — A 200-foot tall wind turbine will soon rise from a family farm after the Planning and Zoning Commis­sion on Wednesday approved a plan that was widely accepted by neighbors.

Optiwind, a Torrington start­up company, hopes to construct its first full-scale turbine before the end of the year on George “Butch” Klug’s property at 725 Klug Hill Road.

Although the land is typically reserved for dairy cows, corn and hay production, Klug sought out the addition of the turbine to the farm, which has been in his family since 1899. In exchange for the site, Optiwind will power Klug’s farm while selling back excess electricity to the grid.

“I’m hoping it will bring jobs to Torrington,” Klug said. “And with milk prices half what they used to be, we’re just trying to keep going.”
Optiwind next will seek a building permit in hopes of wrapping up construction by winter, company Vice Presi­dent David Hurwitt said.

The company’s design fea­tures a cylindrical steel structure outfitted with blades that accel­erate the wind before directing it to multiple fans on each side. The turbine is expected to eliminate 450 tons of carbon dioxide emis­sions each year.

“I like the idea of Torrington being known for developing green businesses,” city planner Marty Connor said, noting Fuel­Cell Energy Inc., another clean energy company with manufac­turing headquarters in Torring­ton. “It would be great to get green jobs to replace the old manufacturing ones.”

The proposal passed the com­mission with ease in stark con­trast to proceedings in Goshen, where Optiwind solicited ap­proval to build a test turbine at a sewage treatment plant last August. The request was twice defeated by the Goshen Plan­ning and Zoning board after the plant’s neighbors protested that the turbine was untested for noise and would decrease prop­erty values. Optiwind chal­lenged the ruling in Litchfield Superior Court, where the case is pending.

In Torrington, however, sup­porters far outweighed oppo­nents at a well-attended hearing June 10. The only neighbor with a clear view of the property, Gerald A. Zordan, expressed enthusiasm for homegrown electricity. Con­necticut has one of the most ex­pensive electric rates in the country, according to a Univer­sity of Connecticut study.

“In Goshen, the turbine was staunchly opposed by a minori­ty of residents who invested heavily,” Hurwitt said. “Here, it was a great community expe­rience. The neighbors support­ed the turbine but they supported Butch even more.”

Despite the defeat in Goshen, the outcry helped generate pub­licity for Optiwind, Hurwitt said. The company is in sync with the U.S. Department of En­ergy’s goals, which include pro­ducing one-fifth of the nation’s electricity from wind sources over the next 25 years.