ASU installs wind turbine on campus
Project funded in part by students c/o MountainTimesOnline

Installation of a 100-kilowatt, community-scale wind turbine on the Appalachian State University campus has been completed and the turbine will soon begin generating electricity that will be fed into the system operated by New River Light and Power.

The Northwind 100 turbine manufactured by Northern Power Systems of Vermont was installed by Alteris Renewables headquarted in Wilton, Conn.

After more than 30 years, a wind turbine once again is part of the vista in the town of Boone. The 121-foot tall tower and Northwind 100 wind turbine is located behind the Broyhill Inn and Conference Center at Appalachian State University. The area’s first large-scale wind turbine was installed in 1978 on top of Howard Knob, but the U.S. Department of Energy project was dismantled in 1983. Photo by Jane Nicholson

Installation of the turbine began June 15, which was Global Wind Day. The wind turbine is located behind the Broyhill Inn and Conference center on campus. It sits atop a 121-foot tower. Each of its three blades is 34 feet long.

The $533,000 project was funded by Appalachian students through a $5 Renewable Energy Initiative fee collected each semester. Students approved the REI fee by referendum in 2004. New River Light and Power contributed approximately 50 percent of the project’s cost. The Senior Class of 2009 also contributed to the project.

The wind turbine has the potential to generate approximately 145,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year, roughly equivalent to the electricity needs of about 10-15 typical households in the South per year.

Crystal Simmons, student project manager for the turbine installation, said, “This is very much a student-led achievement, from the funds raised by the student body to the long, arduous conversations by REI members about the turbine project.”

“Appalachian State University and the student-led Renewable Energy Initiative on campus are setting a solid example for the next generation of energy use in North Carolina,” said Bob Chew, president of the Wind Business unit of Alteris Renewables. “The fact that the students felt strongly enough about this project to contribute funds to help make this turbine installation possible should be a source of pride for Appalachian State University.”

“It’s a new moment for Appalachian State University and the state of North Carolina,” said Patrick Beville, design and construction project manager at Appalachian. “We have strong wind resources in our state, and it’s time for more institutions and businesses to take advantage of the opportunity to generate power from the wind as well as other renewable energy sources.”

Other REI funded projects on campus are a photovoltaic array in front of Raley Hall, and solar a thermal system that provides hot water to Frank Residence Hall. A similar system soon will be installed on Plemmons Student Union.
 

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