Islip voting on installing wind turbine

Islip Town officials hope a new wind turbine at East Islip Marina will encourage more renewable energy initiatives across the town and help students understand more about green technologies.

Tuesday, the town board will vote on a contract between Islip and Retlif Testing Laboratories, a Ronkonkoma-based company that would install the 40-by-80-foot turbine. If approved, the project could be completed in about a month, officials said.

"The town can lead by example," Councilman John Edwards said. "Renewable energy is something we have to invest in. If we can show a wind turbine is beneficial for the town, hopefully others in the private sector will follow suit."

Edwards said he's been trying to bring wind power to the marina for several years and learned recently Retlif was interested in testing a small vertical wind turbine. The company would install it at no cost to the town and conduct tests for about a year with students from the New York Institute of Technology, which has a campus in Central Islip.

"Students will be exposed to the technology and will be working on monitoring the different tests that will be ongoing," said Greg Banhazl, director of business development at NYIT. "It's a firsthand experience on alternative energy."

The students would visit the site as often as once a week to measure its efficiency and its ability to withstand coastal conditions, Banhazl said. They might also set up a remote monitoring system, and a website where town officials and the public can see the progress of the project, he said.

Energy from the turbine would power parts of the Islip Harbor police headquarters, Edwards said.