It's one step in what will be a lengthy process, but the Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust will be undertaking a site assessment of several possible locations in Duxbury for the placement of a wind turbine. Emily Dahl, a spokesperson for the trust, said DNV Global Energy Concepts, a company with offices in Lowell, would be performing what she called a "desktop analysis".

A company that wants to build a floating wind farm 23 miles off the coast of Martha's Vineyard has applied to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for a permit to install a demonstration platform at the project's proposed site. The application by Blue H USA proposes a semi-submerged deepwater platform held underwater by chains attached to a counterweight on the ocean floor.

Blue H USA, a Dutch-owned company that wants to anchor floating wind turbines some 20 miles southwest of Martha's Vineyard to harness offshore ocean winds, has applied for a permit from the U.S. Army Corps. The company wants to anchor a demonstration unit on the outer continental shelf approximately 23 miles off Squibnocket Point in Chilmark and about 32 miles southeast of Block Island, R.I. according to the Army Corps.

It may be a few years before the coal pile at Salem Harbor Station power plant has a windmill for a neighbor, but that possibility is starting to look a little more probable. The Park and Recreation Commission last night approved a request by the city's Renewable Energy Task Force to erect a 165-foot tower on Winter Island to test the wind.

Wind energy development in and near Buzzards Bay drew the most public comment during a hearing Tuesday night on the state's draft Ocean Management Plan. Public officials, environmental advocates and local residents shared concern for protecting the ecologically sensitive bay, but disagreed on how much wind development they would support.

A proposal for a backyard wind turbine has been rejected, and the property owner will have to wait two years to reapply. Landlord Joe Fantasia was hoping to install a 120-foot turbine at the four-unit apartment building he owns ...But the board of zoning appeals said the spot Fantasia hoped to put the turbine, at 1282 Commercial St., was too small. The board unanimously rejected the proposal Sept. 2, deeming it too close to the property line.

State environmental officials are vetting their draft Ocean Management Plan with a series of five public hearings to be held in coastal communities across the state. Local residents are invited to share their comments during a hearing Tuesday night at 7 p.m. at the New Bedford Public Library. The hearing will take place in the main meeting room of the library at 613 Pleasant Street.

A growing group of elected officials this week raced to stay ahead of a state plan that could allow large-scale commercial wind farms to built within three miles of the Vineyard's southern shore, with little or no oversight from Island regulatory agencies, including the Martha's Vineyard Commission. ...Chairman Leonard Jason Jr. said the county and the six Island towns should join forces to create a unified front in response to the state wind initiatives.

Associated Industries of Massachusetts has launched an all-out attack on the Patrick administration's aggressive renewable energy programs, saying they'll cost electric ratepayers billions of dollars and represent a stealth tax on residents and companies. In a letter filed with the state's Department of Energy Resources, AIM objected to the administration's move to impose specific guidelines on how much solar power that ratepayers should eventually buy to help reduce carbon pollution.

A wind turbine project to be built collaboratively between the schools and municipal light department will cost the school district $112,000 when a first bond payment is due by the end of December. The turbine will provide the power for the new Ipswich High/Middle School.

The waters around the Cape and Islands are awash with ideas for harnessing renewable energy. From a tidal project in Muskeget Channel east of Chappaquiddick Island to ocean-based wind turbines, it is difficult to escape hope-infused plans for a green, energy-filled future. But over the next month, the action comes onshore during a series of public hearings and conferences on how to mold those dreams into reality.

An apartment owner’s application to construct a 44-foot wind turbine to provide power for his six units at 1282 Commercial St. has been unanimously rejected by the board of zoning appeals. “I don’t believe it is an appropriate use for the location,” Chairman Richard McLeod said before he joined his colleagues on Sept. 1 in rejecting a variance request from property owner Joseph Fantasia. “There is a school property line there.”

President Obama, now summering on the Massachusetts island with his family, is still at least a year away from seeing turbines take root anywhere off the U.S. coast, even though his administration promised to make offshore wind a priority and developers are lining up to string wind farms up and down the Atlantic seaboard. His administration, delayed by controversy and red tape, has yet to grant a single permit for wind or solar development on public land, onshore or off.

Draft legislation backed by Gov. Deval Patrick has again placed the Vineyard front and center in the statewide push to build large-scale wind farms on land and at sea, sparking some concern here that the rush to adopt clean energy technologies could come at the expense of fishing grounds, scenic views and the Island's unique powers to regulate development through the Martha's Vineyard Commission.

Cape Cod Community College will soon be adding a wind turbine to its list of green accomplishments. Contractor J.K. Scanlon has begun site preparation work for the installation of the 164-foot turbine. "It's coming from India. It's on a ship somewhere and we don't expect to see it until sometime at the end of October."

At 386 feet from the ground to the tip of the blades, the wind turbine on the Williams Stone Co. property might look odd now to drivers headed along the Massachusetts Turnpike. But wind-power boosters are hopeful such turbines - which are capable of generating 600 kilowatts, or enough power for 200 to 250 homes - will soon be familiar sights anywhere the wind blows.

Dubbed "biomass energy," the push to help wean the state off coal-burning plants by incinerating trees and wood has the backing of state officials and many environmentalists. The Patrick administration already has invested $1 million to help jump start the development of four wood-burning plants in the western Massachusetts ...But a coalition of neighborhood groups and other environmental advocates is pushing back.

The wind turbine in Portsmouth wasn't moving Tuesday morning for one simple reason-there wasn't any wind. So in the heart of summer, when heat and humidity are the highest and the demand for energy at its greatest, wind power is at its lowest levels.

The town is one step closer to bringing in wind turbines to generate energy from a renewable source. Selectmen Chairman Ed Vitone asked fellow board members Monday night to approve the submission of a grant proposal to see if wind turbines are feasible for the town. Vitone said a tower that stands on one of 12 possible sites is measuring the amount of wind available to power turbines. If there is enough power, Vitone said the turbines could be a lucrative source of revenue.