Connecticut College Exploring an On-Campus Wind Turbine
by Jeff McIntire-Strasburg, St. Louis, MO on 09.29.06
Last Spring, Connecticut College joined other US campuses that have committed to purchasing green power. After seven months of buying green power for 50% of its total usage, the campus is now considering the next logical step: joining those schools that produce green energy. The college has partnered with Global Energy Concepts to begin a two-phase process that could will bring wind power to this small liberal arts school:
In Phase 1, which began Sept. 18, GEC will determine the amount of wind available on campus and indicate what size of turbine, if any, is practical. Phase 2 will examine the regulatory, economic, engineering, environmental and aesthetic issues associated with such a project.We applaud students and administrators at CC for perceiving this move not as a luxury, but as a responsibility. Ultimately, wind may not be the best option for the school, but we're happy to see that they're taking the step of considering greener electricity alternatives. ::Connecticut CollegeGlenn Dreyer, director of the arboretum, said the study will give the college the data to make an informed decision about whether to move forward with this particular local energy generation project.
"Given the obvious difficulties with our nation's current energy policies from economic, political, environmental and security standpoints, and the ever increasing portion of the College budget consumed by our energy utilization, it behooves our community to explore options for the local generation of energy by renewable means," Dreyer said.
The study is being funded by a student fee for renewable energy, that was initiated by students in 2001 to support on-campus renewable energy projects.
