Rensselaer has a long history of excellence in the fields of science and technology. Very soon now, that history will be adjusted to include renewable energy technologies. Rensselaer already has a small photovoltaic array to the south of the VCC. This spring on Sunset Terrace—east of the Fieldhouse—Rensselaer will install a brand new 10 kW Bergey Excel wind turbine. This turbine will provide about 9,000 kWh of electricity per year to the campus. While this is a relatively small amount of electricity, the turbine’s main purpose will be as a research and learning tool. The 80 foot tower holding the turbine aloft will actually tilt down via a winch so that classes and research groups can have access to the alternator and rotor blades. At the base of the hill where the turbine will be installed there will be an education center housing the electronic circuitry that controls the output from the turbine and from here it will be uploaded via a modem link to the campus network.
This project was begun as an independent study by RPI alumni, Jim Adams. He now works at AWS Scientific in Albany, and he will be conducting the installation. His efforts several months ago collecting wind data to prove the feasibility of this project are now paying off as we draw closer to the installation date. The installation of this turbine brings Rensselaer one step closer to embracing environmentally responsible technologies that are increasingly becoming important in today’s job market. After all, why not change the world?
This column was brought to you by Ecologic. Meetings are held every Tuesday from 4 to 5 pm in Sage 2410.
