Student name:

Bill Z.
Project #:
2
Working version of project title:
Wind Energy and Boston- Wed like you to be a bit more creative here.

Research Proposal--first draft

1.

State the essential question

How can urban areas like Boston, with all their limitations, harness wind power to
successfully conserve energy?

Good essential question but what do you mean by with all their limitations?

2.

State the primary research question

How has Bostons use of wind power promoted sustainability while still benefiting the
economy, and how should the city harvest this energy source more in the future?

Good
3.

State the secondary research questions you have (make sure these are fairly
comprehensive and extensive).

Why is Boston suitable for wind energy?

What challenges does the city face that limit wind energy in Boston?
How much money do the wind turbines cost to build and maintain?
How much will they save?
What types and sizes of wind turbines are there?
How does the city record how much electric energy it generates every year?
How can Boston reduce its usage of unsustainable energy plants?
What are the benefits and drawbacks of wind power compared to other forms of
clean energy?
In which areas of Boston should wind turbines be constructed?

Which sizes of wind turbines should be built?

Should they be build individually or in groups?
How can the general public be convinced that more wind power is necessary?
How can we gain support from the city and state governments to build more
wind turbines?

These are solid secondary research questions.

4.

Description of what the final product will look like. (Be sure that you are very
thorough here. Take us through the entire process from now until the final
product. If it would be helpful to you, number the steps and proceed through
them through and including your final product. In short: you MUST describe the
process here. This is vital to the approval process on your research proposal.)

My final project will be a documentary.

The first section of the film will examine the benefits of wind power and how Bostons history
with harvesting wind energy has affected the city. Here, I will present data about the amount
of money that wind power can save, energy that turbines can generate, and pollution that
relying on wind can reduce.
The second section will investigate geographic, economic, and political challenges that limit
the growth of wind power in Boston, and how the city can overcome these obstacles.
The third section will look at how the city can improve the efficiency of its current wind
turbines, and also examine potential locations for wind power in Boston and the types of wind
turbines the city can build.
As in the last project, you need to take us step-by-step through the project (in the final draft,
you will be asked to identify week by week, from November 1 March 31, what you are going
to do to produce this documentary.

5.

State how this research will advance the frontiers of knowledge and/or matter
and be significant in a meaningful way.

One of the most important issues for the world today is that although many cities want to
convert to renewable energy, the cost for them to do so is too high.<--is this the limitation you
referred to in the essential question AND/OR cost + geography + amount of wind, etc.?
With my research, I will investigate how Boston, as an example for other cities, can become
reliant on wind power despite the barriers against it. Do you mean barriers here or
obstacles to wind power?
My documentary will help people understand the challenges of wind energy, such as how
turbines are usually located far from urban areas, how wind power must compete with existing
energy sources, and how turbines can cause noise and aesthetic pollution. With my research, I
will teach people that despite these obstacles, wind is a clean, sustainable, and cost-effective

energy source that has enormous potential in cities like Boston.

6.

State anticipated potential pitfalls or problems of this research effort

Its possible that because Boston is so different from other cities, my research of wind power
in other areas may not be suitable. In addition, I also do not have much experience in creating
documentaries and still need to learn how I can make my film appealing to my audience.
And--how you make a film?!

7.

State your a tentative plan to locate and review the literature related to your
project. This includes printed/published sources and online sources. [The
research strategy, part #1]

I will use internet databases to search for online literature, such as previously written reports
and articles. I also plan to watch documentaries about clean energy for inspiration.
For printed sources, I will use the library to finds books and journals on both wind power in
Boston as well as documentary filmmaking.

8.

State a tentative plan for research and data collection. (Data collection can take
multiple forms--surveys, test groups, interviews, observations, etc etc. This will
differ from project to project. [The research strategy, part #2]

Using online research, I will collect data on Bostons capacity of electricity and how much
electric energy the city still needs. from where?
After interviewing experts on wind energy, I will determine how many turbines can be built in
Boston, their costs, how much energy the turbines can generate, and how much money they
can save..and who will pay for them?

9.

State a tentative plan for research and data analysis and interpretation. [The
research strategy, part #3]
After collecting my data, I will analyze the following costs to support my arguments and
give my audience a good idea of what it will take for Boston to rely more on wind:
cost of turbine manufacture.
cost of turbine installment.

 cost of turbine maintenance.

cost of land.
cost of electricity delivery.
I will also look at the following data to estimate benefits of wind power in Boston:
How much it can save on fuel.
How many Carbon Dioxide it can reduce.
Its impact on local temperatures and climate.
How much air pollution and health issues such as respiratory and cardiac disease it can
prevent.

This looks good--

9.

List the tools you will need to complete this effort. Identify tools that might
currently be unavailable to you

For my documentary, I will need a video camera and editing program.

10.

Budget: what materials do you anticipate needing for your project? Please
provide a list with quantities and an approximate cost per item, along a brief
description of why you need this for your project. Use the chart below; feel free to
add more cells if you need them.

item

quantity

cost per item

why you need this

item for your
project

Adobe Premiere Pro 1

do you have a
reason for preferring
Adobe Premiere Pro
as opposed to
iMovie OR Final
Cut Pro?

$20/month

to edit my
documentary

Video camera

~$600-900

to record footage

11.

Bibliography- early draft. This bibliography must include at least 5 books, 5

scholarly journal articles, 5 websites, and least one potential source who you
might interview. Use proper bibliographic citation (MLA or APA format; your
choice). You are welcome to use EasyBib or refer to the formatting template
created by Purdue University: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/ Explain why
you anticipate (at this point) that these sources would be relevant.

Books
Stankovic, Sinisa, Neil Campbell, and Alan Harries. Urban Wind Energy. 1st ed.
London: Earthscan, 2009. digital.
Mertens, Sander. Wind Energy in the Built Environment: Concentrator Effects of
Buildings. Essex: Multiscience Pub., 2006. Print.
Manwell, J. F., J. G. McGowan, and Anthony L. Rogers. Wind Energy Explained
Theory, Design and Application. 2nd ed. Chichester: Wiley, 2002. Print.
Chiras, Daniel D., Mick Sagrillo, and Ian Woofenden. Wind Power Basics. Gabriola
Isalnd, B.C.: New Society, 2010. Print.
Gipe, Paul. Wind Energy Basics: A Guide to Home- and Community-scale Wind
Energy Systems. White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green Pub., 2009. Print.
Journal Articles
Chen, K., M. X. Song, and X. Zhang. "A Statistical Method to Merge Wind Cases for
Wind Power Assessment of Wind Farm." Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial
Aerodynamics 119 (2013): 69-77. JSTOR. Web. 19 Oct. 2014.
Schroeder, Erica. "Turning Offshore Wind On." California Law Review 98.5 (2010):
1631-667. JSTOR. Web. 19 Oct. 2014.
Bradbury, Jane. "Wind Power: Renewable but Not Unlimited." Frontiers in Ecology
and the Environment 11.3 (2013): 118. JSTOR. Web. 19 Oct. 2014.
Lu, X., M. B. Mcelroy, and J. Kiviluoma. "From the Cover: Global Potential for Windgenerated Electricity." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 106.27
(2009): 10933-0938. JSTOR. Web. 19 Oct. 2014.
Decarolis, Joseph F. "The Real Cost of Wind Energy." Science 294.5544 (2001): n.
pag. JSTOR. Web. 19 Oct. 2014.

Websites
Hewett, Amber. "Offshore Wind Power Can Be Our Answer to N.E.s Energy
Challenges - The Boston Globe." BostonGlobe.com. The Boston Globe, 19 Oct. 2014.
Web. 19 Oct. 2014.
"Project Benefits." Cape Wind: America's First Offshore Wind Farm. Cape Wind, n.d.
Web. 20 Oct. 2014.
Gross, Richard C., and Paul Phelan. "Feasibility Study for Wind Turbine Installations
at Museum of Science Boston, MA. mos.org. Museum of Science Boston. Oct. 2006.
Web. 19 Oct. 2014.

 Hicks, Jennifer. "Small Wind Energy Goes Urban In Italy, Korea, Brazil And Texas."
Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 17 May 2012. Web. 20 Oct. 2014.
Nguyen, Tuan C. "Is This Odd-looking Wind Turbine the Most Efficient You Can
Buy?" Washington Post. The Washington Post, 10 June 2014. Web. 20 Oct. 2014.
Potential Source for Interview
Robert Donahue, Vice President of Environmental Services, Cape Wind.
surely there are other folks who would also be helpful...you may want to brainstorm more
interview ideas.
With these sources, I can learn how wind power has been used in Boston as well as other areas
and the benefits that turbines have created.
Bill-Clearly this needs a bit more work in sections but overall its looking like a viable project. If
this is the project you choose to pursue, please be sure that you flesh out the step-by-step
portion of the project so that its clear how you are going to proceed.
Address the areas where weve commented above and you will be in good shape for a final
draft.
Ms. F and Mr. M