MATC-Mequon Wind Turbine Dedicated
in Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
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A ribbon cutting ceremony celebrating the erection of a wind turbine at Milwaukee Area Technical College's Mequon Campus was held at the campus Nov. 12, 2008. The 160-foot tall unit with a blade diameter of 56 feet is the largest wind turbine on a college campus in the state. It is part of a sustainability initiative designed to educate students and the public about renewable energy technologies.
MATC speakers included Michael Townsend, vice president, Mequon Campus; George Stone, natural sciences instructor, and student Solomon Roberts; who won a contest to name the wind turbine. Now dubbed the "Blades of Freedom," Townsend told the crowd that the turbine was commissioned on Friday, Nov. 7. |
Mequon Campus Vice President Dr. Michael Townsend (right) congratulates MATC student Solomon Roberts, who suggested the name "Blades of Freedom" for the wind turbine.
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Townsend talked about the time and energy people, companies and governmental agencies put in to making the wind turbine a reality. He said: "Without We Energies, Focus on Energy, Sagrillo Power and Light, the Wisconsin Technical College System Foundation and MATC staff members Al Evinrude, George Stone, Mike Sargent, and two people who led the Mequon Campus – Nina Jo Look and John Stilp – before me, we wouldn't be gathered today."
Two community partners also spoke at the ceremony. Christine Nuernberg, Mequon Mayor, and Karl Hertz, Thiensville Village President, both praised the school for its efforts. Hertz urged MATC faculty staff and students to help younger children to grow up learning the importance of renewable energy and developing alternative energy sources.
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George Stone, natural sciences instructor, speaks about the benefits of wind energy.
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MATC District Board Vice President Robert Davis, Mequon Mayor Christine Nuernberg, Mequon Vice President Dr. Michael Townsend, and Thiensville Village President Karl Hertz visit after the ribbon cutting ceremony.
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After the speeches, the crowd moved outside for the official ribbon cutting. A permanent sign will be displayed in the lobby to acknowledging important contributors to the project.
Located at the south end of the campus building, the 90-kilowatt, V-17 turbine is a remanufactured unit made in Denmark by Vestas, the world's largest manufacturer of turbines. It does not feed electricity to We Energies but supplies power directly to the Mequon Campus. It will directly provide about 8 percent of the campus' electricity, saving taxpayer dollars.
The wind tower cost approximately $200,000, with grants of $57,000 from Focus on Energy and $25,000 from We Energies. The college expects to recoup its investment within eight years or less at current energy prices.
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