Wind

There has been some focus on UVM utilizing wind power for a source of renewable energy, but not on the scale it would need to be to become a viable and useful offset. UVM has one turbine that has nowhere near the output it would need to to make an impact on energy costs for the school, and it appears that this is also the case at other schools that have started to utilize wind power.  Rumor is that the small turbine up near Jeffords only powers the tiny red light that rests on the tower.

Carleton College in Minnesota established their wind turbine project in 2002 to place a 1.65 megawatt turbine 1.5 miles from campus. The proposed turbine would output 5,000,000 KWH (kilowatt hours) per year for the life of the turbine. Carleton also proposed using the turbine as a basis for data and education for students and surrounding community on wind energy as a resource (Heinz 2006).

On a more local note, Middlebury College had their own turbine installed on campus in 2005 to power the Material Recycling Center. The turbine itself powers 25% of the building's machines and electrical needs by producing 8,000 KWH per year (1/625th the power generated by the Carleton turbine). The college is also currently using consultations with NRG (the local company our group interviewed) to discuss the possibility of placing another turbine at the school's Snow Bowl (Middlebury College).

The contrast between these two college campuses is stark, and might have some correlation with the location (Minnesota vs. Vermont), but shows that there is disparity in wind energy. The majority of schools that use turbines are on the level of Middlebury and UVM and not Carleton; using the turbine as a minor offset rather than a major source of energy. For this reason we decided against aggressively pursuing wind energy as a source of energy for the campus.  Also, large turbines can be quite invasive in urban communities because people do not like to have them blocking their views.