Dec 26 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Frank Juliano Connecticut Post, Bridgeport

One energy source the city seems to have an ample supply of is wind, and some city officials want to turn wind-speed knots into kilowatts.

Dan Worroll, the Recreation Commission chairman, said he'd like to have a study of generating wind-driven power done here. One possible site for a wind turbine, the chairman said, is the top of the Devon Rotary Pavilion at Walnut Beach.

Worroll told his fellow commissioners that he doesn't envision a propeller-type turbine for the top of the cupola, but something more aesthetically pleasing. The commission oversees use of the beach pavilion.

At least one other city official is endorsing the idea of a study. "In this day and age, it is worth looking into," said Bill McCarthy, the recreation director. "We're not talking about a work of art, but vertical blades. It would look like an old-fashioned push mower."

Putting windmills at the back of the salt marsh leading to Silver Sands State Park was briefly discussed a few years ago, but never formally studied, officials said.

The chairman of the city's Alternative Energy Task Force said that he hasn't been approached about Worroll's idea. "The first step would be data collection," said Tom Ivers. "We'd need to know how strong the wind is and get a measure of its reliability. How consistent is the wind?"

One idea being tried in Ansonia might also work here, Ivers said. That Valley city is setting up its own energy district and will sell electricity to commercial customers as well as meet its own needs.

"It's worth looking into for Milford, but I'm not sure that we'd have the concentration of demand here, the density," Ivers said. "You'd need a lot of properties with a high-energy demand clustered together to make an energy district work."

Frank Juliano, Milford bureau chief, can be reached at 878-2130.