2008 Woodie Awards
Macoskey receives grant for energy system
By Sarah Poulton
Rocket Assistant Ad Manager
Issue date: 2/3/06 Section: News
The Pennsylvania Energy Department Authority allotted Slippery Rock University a $27,000 grant on Jan. 27 to fund the construction of a solar and wind energy system as a part of the Robert M. Macoskey Center for Sustainable Systems Education and Research.
A pre-bid conference was held Tuesday morning, where prospective builders gathered to obtain the details of the project, Macoskey Center Director Thomas Reynolds said.
Reynolds said assuming that they can get anyone to bid on the project, they would like to award a bid in a couple of months. He said the deadline for proposals is Feb. 8, and if all goes well, the project may begin as early as this summer.
According to a press release issued by SRU, the wind turbine and solar panels will provide a renewable, non-polluting source of energy for the center.
The new energy system may power the center's Harmony House, but it has yet to be determined exactly where the power will go, Reynolds said.
"We know there is a finite amount of coal on the planet," Reynolds said. "Sometime in the future we need to transfer to a new energy source."
The Macoskey Center works with students in different departments at SRU, including the elementary education department, sustainable systems graduate program and an environmental health class, Reynolds said.
Different classes may be able to use the wind turbine for a project, and a number of courses across the curriculum could use this project as a research tool.
Reynolds said research, however, is not the big picture.
"Anything we can do as a university to reduce the fossil fuels we burn has multiple benefits," Reynolds said. "There are serious environmental and human health concerns."
The Macoskey Center did a one-year feasibility study, executed by graduate student Heath Gamache, to gauge a picture of what kinds of winds and production they can get out of SRU's microclimate, Reynolds said.
The winds that SRU and this region produce are very sufficient for this type of project, Reynolds said. The ideal situation is moderate, with consistent wind speed between 12 and 15 meters per second.
"Anytime we can replace non-renewable energy sources that pollute the environment and create human health problems with renewable energy sources, like wind, that are environmentally sensitive and don't create pollution, it's a win-win situation," Reynolds said.
Reynolds said on windy days, the Macoskey Center will use the power generated from the turbine and store excess in a utility grid, which can be pulled from on days with little wind.
The Macoskey Center was created in 1900 to promote a shift at SRU and in the local community towards a regenerative partnership with ecological systems.
A pre-bid conference was held Tuesday morning, where prospective builders gathered to obtain the details of the project, Macoskey Center Director Thomas Reynolds said.
Reynolds said assuming that they can get anyone to bid on the project, they would like to award a bid in a couple of months. He said the deadline for proposals is Feb. 8, and if all goes well, the project may begin as early as this summer.
According to a press release issued by SRU, the wind turbine and solar panels will provide a renewable, non-polluting source of energy for the center.
The new energy system may power the center's Harmony House, but it has yet to be determined exactly where the power will go, Reynolds said.
"We know there is a finite amount of coal on the planet," Reynolds said. "Sometime in the future we need to transfer to a new energy source."
The Macoskey Center works with students in different departments at SRU, including the elementary education department, sustainable systems graduate program and an environmental health class, Reynolds said.
Different classes may be able to use the wind turbine for a project, and a number of courses across the curriculum could use this project as a research tool.
Reynolds said research, however, is not the big picture.
"Anything we can do as a university to reduce the fossil fuels we burn has multiple benefits," Reynolds said. "There are serious environmental and human health concerns."
The Macoskey Center did a one-year feasibility study, executed by graduate student Heath Gamache, to gauge a picture of what kinds of winds and production they can get out of SRU's microclimate, Reynolds said.
The winds that SRU and this region produce are very sufficient for this type of project, Reynolds said. The ideal situation is moderate, with consistent wind speed between 12 and 15 meters per second.
"Anytime we can replace non-renewable energy sources that pollute the environment and create human health problems with renewable energy sources, like wind, that are environmentally sensitive and don't create pollution, it's a win-win situation," Reynolds said.
Reynolds said on windy days, the Macoskey Center will use the power generated from the turbine and store excess in a utility grid, which can be pulled from on days with little wind.
The Macoskey Center was created in 1900 to promote a shift at SRU and in the local community towards a regenerative partnership with ecological systems.
