Wind Power
Higher Education
&
with pieces by Rachel Rice & Karen Gonya
PRESQUE ISLE – There’s a new feature in the city
skyline now that the University of Maine at Presque Isle’s
wind turbine is up and running. Standing out against brick
buildings and blue skies is a 65-meter tower topped with
three slowly spinning blades – each 47 meters
long – that are helping to transform the passing
breeze into a power source that can be used by the
entire campus.
The 600 kW wind turbine, which was assembled
in mid-April and began generating electricity in May, is
the very first midsize wind turbine to be installed on a
university campus in the State of Maine. Only a handful
of them have been installed on university campuses
throughout New England.
This turbine is expected to produce about 1
million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year and save the
institution more than $100,000 annually in electricity
charges. It also is expected to save an estimated 572 tons
of carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere
each year, or the equivalent of removing 123 cars from the
road.
“This is the most significant renewable energy
project we, as a campus, have ever undertaken, and we
are both proud and humbled to be stepping forward as a
statewide leader in the utilization of wind as a renewable
energy resource,” UMPI President Don Zillman said.
When the University began work on this $2
million project, it set out with the major goals of serving
its educational and community roles as a public university,
lowering its energy bill, and reducing its carbon footprint.
The University first began exploring alternative
energy options about five years ago when the Gentile
Hall building project was underway. Geo-thermal energy
generation was considered, but officials determined that
the option was not feasible, so turned to wind generation.
After talking with the U.S. Department of Energy
about wind power, the University was directed to the
University of Massachusetts at Amherst’s Renewable
Energy Research Laboratory. RERL installed wind
monitoring equipment in a field next to the tennis courts
on Nov. 21, 2004. The data received indicated that a
wind turbine would be a fiscally feasible venture for the
University.
Just a little more than two years ago, on May 3,
2007, the University announced its intentions to move
forward on a wind turbine project. After securing the
proper permits and completing contract negotiations, the
University signed an agreement with Lumus Construction,
Inc. to build the turbine.
Construction work at the turbine site, located
near the athletic fields at the southern end of campus,
began on Nov. 19, 2008. The turbine foundation – about
100 cubic yards of concrete was poured for it – was
completed during the winter. In late February 2009, the
tower parts, which were manufactured in North
Dakota, began arriving. On April 15, the blades,
hub and nacelle – manufactured in Chennai,
India – were delivered. In just 4 days, the turbine
was completely assembled. Crews then completed
interior equipment installation, electrical hook-up work,
and diagnostic tests so the turbine could begin spinning.
Funding for the project came from campus
reserves, which have been built up through more than
20 years of careful financial stewardship. The University
UMPI
44 Wind & Higher Education SUMMER & FALL 09
also received a
$50,000 Voluntary Renewable Resources
Fund grant from the Maine Public Utilities Commission
and was provided with funding support from the Rebuild
America grant program through Efficiency Maine as
administered by the University of Maine System’s Systemwide Services.
On May 14, just two days before its
100th Commencement Exercises, the University
held a special ceremony to officially
commission its 600 kW wind turbine. The
commissioning event included remarks
by local and state officials, a ceremonial
ribbon cutting and the release of
enviro