Yes, That is a Wind Turbine on Alford Street

You're not mistaken. That *is* a wind turbine being built by the Alford Street Bridge. Yes, in Charlestown.

It belongs to the Massachusetts Water Resource Authority (MWRA), which is a state agency that's based in the Navy Yard. The power will be sent to the grid and net metered to offset the cost of MWRA's electric accounts.

A contract for the project was awarded back in 2009 -- $4.7 million in stimulus money is going toward the wind turbine, which is fully funded through American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. But construction didn't begin in earnest until this week.

Ria Convery, communications director at the MWRA, sent Patch some details on the turbine. (You can find more on the MWRA website too.)

• It will be 364 feet high at top of its blades.
• It will save MWRA ratepayers $350,000 each year.
• It's being constructed by Sinovel.
• It will produce 1.5 megawatts of power or 3 million kilowatt hours per year. That's enough to power nearly 300 homes (this is a small turbine).

Convery said the blades will be going up either Friday or Monday. Stay tuned to Patch for more photos and information.

There's a photo simulation attached to this story showing how the turbine will look along the skyline. The Youtube video linked here shows a time-lapse video of construction of MWRA's Deer Island turbines.