2008 Woodie Awards
Wind turbine providing cleaner energy source
By Lexxie Shiring
Rocket Contributor
Issue date: 4/27/07 Section: News
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According to The Robert A. Macoskey Center for Sustainable Systems Education and Research Web site, "Feasibility and sitting of the system was based on a one-year study of wind speed and direction, carried out by an SRU graduate student."
The way energy is generated in western Pennsylvania is by burning coal, said Thomas Reynolds, director of the Macoskey Center.
"Look at it this way, it is great that coal is a local resource, it is here, we can use it, but it is one of the dirtiest ways to produce electricity," Reynolds said.
"All horrific environmental problems are associated with the burning of coal."
About 360,000 asthma attacks are contributed to power plants because every kilowatt that is not used goes into the ground.
"Using less power would save people from having asthma attacks," he said.
The wind turbine system is specifically used as an alternative way to generate our own power in order to reduce our reliance on dirty coal.
"By using wind to generate energy, it leaves the air clean, with no emissions, and does not compromise human health," Reynolds said.
According to The Robert A. Macoskey Center for Sustainable Systems Education and Research, in order to produce electricity, wind flows through the three-blade rotor to spin and drive the generator inside the tower.
The turbine has a crescent-shaped tail that keeps the rotor facing into the wind.
"It is hard to determine exactly how much electricity is being generated because some days the wind blows and some days it does not," Reynolds said.
"Both wind and solar power installations have been providing 20 to 25 percent of our substantial usage."
The wind and solar installments cost $75,000. A grant was obtained in order to provide the expenses needed for the project, he said.
"The Macoskey Center purchased a lot of things that a typical homeowner would not buy," he said, "such as a fixed tower that does not have guide wires, which played a significant role in our study, and also added to the cost."
Very little maintenance is needed to take care of the wind turbine.
After the installation, the company that installed the wind turbine came for both three- and six-month inspections.
"Now the wind turbine is inspected annually," Reynolds said. "It is very maintenance-free, unless it would happen to get hit by lightning or harmed by dangerous winds."
Some students are aware of the wind turbine and the purpose it fulfills.
"We think that it is a very sustainable use of energy and we would like to see it more widely used on campus," said Dylan Drudul, a junior geology/environmental geosciences major.
Others didn't know much about the wind turbine system.
"I have heard about the wind turbine system but I had no idea that it was actually able to generate energy," said Kate Beranty, a junior resort recreation management and tourism and business administration major.
"Hopefully it will make a big enough impact on the university so that maybe someday we will be able to generate our own energy here on campus."
The wind turbine system is a good thing and has become a sort of landmark, Reynolds said.
Additionally, the turbine has also made more people aware of the Macoskey Center's location.
"I knew that electricity was being generated by the windmill, but I had no idea what it was being used for," said Josh Mintus, a junior elementary education major.
"I am hopeful that Slippery Rock University expands the use of eco-friendly energy beyond just the windmill."
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