WHITEFIELD - The wind turbine being set up this week next to the fifth green of the Mountain View Grand golf course won't be considered a hazard for golfers on the fifth hole, but when it's put into operation later this fall, it will provide as much as half of the power needed for the hotel's needs.

Crews began laying out the three sections of the 121-foot tower yesterday morning, which will be put in place over the next day or so next to the 128-foot water tower.

The turbine, similiar to what motorists in the Boston area can see at the McGlynn Elementary and Middle School in Medford, Mass., is designed to generate 100 kilowatts, which will provide up to half of the electricity the grand hotel currently consumes.

The estimated cost of the project is about $500,000.

"It felt like it was the right thing to do -- to generate power for the hotel," said Chris Diego, the hotel's general manager.

The 145-year-old hotel, which had been the Dodge family farm until it began welcoming guests about 1865, had always made an effort to be self-sustaining, from growing its own flowers for the dining tables, to produce, to raising livestock -- and the wind turbine, hotel officials said, is the most visible of several green innovations it has undertaken.

The tubular steel, single pole design by Vermont-based Northern Power Systems, will have three fiberglass-reinforced polyester rotor blades extending about 32 feet.

Diego said the key advantage of the Northwind 100 "is that it is still able to produce power even when the wind speed is a light breeze, as low as 6.6 mph."

The design of the turbine has no gears, which will keep the noise level at under 50 decibels -- about the same as the hum of a refrigerator at 130 feet, according to technicians -- and because it has a direct drive, it does not need oil to operate.

Once the wind turbine is put into operation later this fall, guests will be able to monitor its wind speed and power production some several locations at the hotel, as well as online.