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RETEC will help pave the way for the transition away from fossil fuels. |
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Future Power
Wind Tower Gets Green Light
The Mequon Planning Commission has unanimously approved construction of a wind turbine at the Mequon Campus of Milwaukee Area Technical College. MATC officials said they were confident about fulfilling the commission’s construction and maintenance requirements. The 160-foot tall unit is part of the Renewable Energy Technology Education Center (RETEC) initiative designed to educate students and the public about renewable energy technologies.
RETEC will become a teaching facility for five degree, diploma and apprenticeship programs at the Mequon Campus: Automotive Technology, Electrical Apprentice, Environmental and Pollution Control, Landscape Horticulture and Interior Design. It eventually will involve 13 training programs across the college. MATC’s wind tower project is the largest to be undertaken by a Wisconsin technical college.
“We are extremely pleased and grateful to the Planning Commission for their support of our efforts to become leaders and educators |
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in the field of renewable energies,” said John Stilp, interim campus vice president. “The building of the wind turbine is an essential part of the energy center because it will be a great teaching tool and a visual reminder to everyone about the need to begin using sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels. It will also directly provide about 8 percent of the campus’ electricity, saving taxpayer dollars.”
Economic Bonus
Construction is expected to begin this fall at a location adjacent to 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 will not feed electricity to We Energies but will supply power directly to the Mequon Campus. The wind tower cost about $150,000, with about $57,000 coming from a grant from the Wisconsin Energy Conservation Corporation. The college expects to recoup its investment within eight years or less at current energy prices.
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Hence RETEC will have some economic benefits, although an educational project first and foremost. James Eden, associate dean of Technology and Applied Sciences, emphasized that the college does not plan a wind farm. “Our motive is strictly education,” he said. "We want to expose our students to the latest in technology and use that energy right here on campus.”
As a separate demonstration and educational piece, RETEC also will include two 1-kilowatt solar cell panels. One can be manually reoriented, and the other automatically tracks the sun on its daily and seasonal travels. Electricity from the panels will be used to electrolyze water to produce hydrogen for a fuel cell generator. |
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To Teach, Must Lead
George Stone, energy expert and MATC physical sciences instructor, has been one of the driving forces behind the RETEC project. “As we teach people about renewable energy, we should practice what we preach,” Stone said. “Wind technology has developed to the point where it is becoming competitive with fossil fuels. Limited supply and ever increasing worldwide demand will inevitably drive a major transition in energy away from fossil fuels and toward renewable resources. We already are in the early stages of that transition.”
MATC joins a growing number of colleges across the country that are investigating or have already invested in renewable energy resources. In Wisconsin, two other state technical colleges – Nicolet and Lakeshore – own and operate wind turbines for educational purposes. “We will learn from each other, as we each will have different turbines,” Stone said.
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