To the editor:
Three months ago the University of Maine at Presque Isle dedicated its 600 kW wind turbine. We have been delighted with the number of inquiries and comments we have received about our new addition to campus. The turbine has provided a constant learning experience for those of us on campus. Here is a quick summary of what we have learned. Operation. Our general contractor told us to expect some fine tuning and adjustments in the first three months after dedication. We have had two periods when we were off line for two or three days to make corrections and minor repairs. That work is completed. It will allow us to handle some future corrections from the contractor’s headquarters near Boston — removing delays that would accompany a visit to Presque Isle. We are very happy with the working of the RRB turbine.
Electric generation. We are still completing the installation of monitoring equipment at the turbine and elsewhere. That will allow us to have a full record of what power gets generated at what times at what wind speed. Our less sophisticated equipment that we are presently using gives us the following information. The computer systems are working very well in adjusting the nacelle and blades to the most favorable wind directions. Blades can start turning in winds as light as 5 mph. Modest generation of electricity can begin at 10 mph. Significant generation begins at about 15 mph and can be sustained at up to nearly 70 mph. Generation at over 15 mph regularly supplies all of the campus need for electricity and lets us receive credit for providing the excess power to the grid.
Summer is the slowest wind season of the year. We await colder and windier weather that will come with the start of fall.
Impacts. We are very pleased that careful location studies have kept the turbine impact to a minimum. The President’s House is one of the closest residences to the turbine. I have yet to hear the turbine running even with windows open and other campus noise at a minimum. On walks to the turbine, I usually don’t hear noise until I reach the athletic fields. Even standing directly underneath the turbine, I find the steady turning of the blades a rather soothing sound. It is also soothing to think what those sounds mean.
What else? The wind turbine is just one part (though certainly a visible and significant one) of UMPI’s attention to energy efficiency and avoidance of carbon fuel use. The energy efficient heat pumps installed in renovated Folsom Hall saved us about 30,000 gallons of fuel oil for heating last year. A newly installed cover for the Gentile Hall pool is measurably lowering our energy costs for the building and promises to return its cost in three years. And, we are very excited about the prospects for work with solar energy that have been detailed elsewhere.
University of Maine
at Presque Isle
