CHARLEMONT — Berkshire East’s renewable energy infrastructure was on full display, despite foggy, rainy conditions at the popular mountain resort Sunday.
The sixth annual Clean Energy Festival, hosted by the Mass Energy Consumer’s Alliance and People’s Power and Light, was held at the Charlemont Mountain resort, and focused on the wind and solar energy capacity of the park.
Attendees were taken by chairlift to the wind turbine at the top of the mountain, then toured that facility and the resort’s solar array.
The wind turbine stands nearly 300 feet tall and has a 900 kilowatt capacity, while the solar array consists of 1,800 panels for a 500-kilowatt capacity.
Patrick Reardon of Whately attended the event with his wife, who works for Co-op Power, a local sustainable energy cooperative. He said events like the festival highlight the importance of energy issues and the need for alternative energy sources.
“Fossil fuels are archaic at this moment, we can’t rely on them. It’s absurd, with the damage it will do,” Reardon said.
Berkshire East, Reardon said, is a great example to show other businesses how they could implement their own renewable energy systems.
He said he plans to install solar on his own roof.
At the tour’s conclusion, some of the participants were taken back down by shuttle, but others decided to take an alternative route down — energy-free zip-lining.
You can reach Tom Relihan at: 413-772-0261, ext 264
or: trelihan@recorder.com
On Twitter: @RecorderTom