 Carleton College windmill.
The answer to the environmental concerns of two Northfield, Minnesota, liberal arts colleges may be blowing in the wind. Last month, Carleton College became the first school in the country to operate a utility-grade wind turbine, and St. Olaf College will follow suit next spring.
The Carleton project arose out of a request from students at the college to "start buying energy from more environmentally friendly sources," says facilities director Richard Strong. Because "the local utility company wasn't selling green energy," the college decided to build its own turbine, at a cost of $1.8 million, that would take advantage of Minnesota's status as one of the windiest states in the country. The Carleton turbine, on a hill about 2.5 kilometers from the campus, is expected to supply as much as 40% of the college's energy needs, at a cost per kilowatt hour that is only 0.2 cents more than what the school pays for electricity. But Strong says that government incentives will allow the turbine to pay for itself in 10 years.
CREDIT: CARLETON COLLEGE |
