Wind as a Source of Energy

by Nikki Albee

Remember the really cold wind that would greet you in your face when walking to breakfast in the winter, well that wind could be put to a very good use. One way to improve the environment is to use the wind as an alternative source of energy rather than coal or nuclear power. Using wind turbines here at Luther College would allows us to use wind to generate power.

Energy Usage on the Luther Campus:

Luther currently gets energy in the form of natural gas and electricity.
Luther paid $535,637 for natural gas and $698,262 for electricity.

The Basics:


Where: The wind turbines would be put northeast of the intersection of Highway 52 and Pole Line road.
How Many: There is no definite answer at the present time but it would take seven to generate enough energy to supply the Luther campus for one year. The number of turbines that would be constructed ranges from seven to ten.
How Much Energy: About one megawatt of energy per turbine is generated.
Effects on Power: Not noticeable to those who work and attend Luther. Luther would stay on the local power grid so there is no possibility of black outs. Luther would use and generate power within the grid with the instillation of wind turbines.

The Money:

Each turbine costs about a million dollars a piece for set up and for the equipment. Luther would more then likely use donations from private investors who could take advantage of the tax credits of such an adventure. It takes about fifteen to twenty years to recover the costs of putting in the turbines. Wind speeds and wind direction needs to be calculated to determine if the project is economically profitable before a final decision on the project would be made. Luther has a contract with a company to do the assessment of the winds at the proposed site. Luther is using the company WindLogics. By the end of May or early June the evaluation of the proposed site should be completed by WindLogics.

The Advantages:

· Dependency on nuclear power would reduce the possibilities of accidents involving transportation, storage of waste, and security
· Development of a renewable resource because it will never run out like coal
· Reduction of air and water pollution
· Lower carbon dioxide in the air that could be the cause of global warming
· Reduction of strip mining which is stripping a mountain which destroys the habitat for plants and animals in order to get at coal
· Providing the Luther community with an opportunity to learn about alternative energy
· Enough electricity could be generated that excess could be sold to the local energy company, Alliant Energy.

The Disadvantages:

· Takes investment of money to get the project going
· Some people do not want to look at the turbines from their land

Sources:

E-mail interview with Assistant Professor of Philosophy John Jensen.

E-mail interview with Marcia K. Bullerman who works in Luther Administrative Services.

Nelson, John. "Wind Turbines are a Local Environmental Energy Option." Luther College Chips 8 April 2004: 1.