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Wind power for Kettering

Wednesday, September 09, 2009

Wind turbine will offer research, learning opportunities

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Randy Conat
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FLINT (WJRT) -- (09/09/09) -- Wind turbines are popping up all over the state, but there's still a lot to be learned about how they work.

Students and faculty at Kettering University in Flint now have their own turbine to experiment with. As the state tries to diversity its economy and its energy resources, we're likely to see more wind turbines likes these in Huron County.

This may be the first one in the Flint area.

Kettering senior Bill Wojcik convinced university officials to purchase a small one. He's writing his thesis on wind energy. "This was actually a lot of fun for me to do this."

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This is the generator. When the wind is blowing at seven miles an hour, which is pretty typical for Michigan, it's capable of producing enough electricity to power a small TV.

That might not seem like a lot of juice, but it's enough for what Kettering has in mind. "It's going to provide students projects, research for professors and students. It will allow students to educate themselves on alternative energies," Wojcik claimed.

David Benson, Ph.D., is the assistant professor of energy systems. "I'm hoping students will be able to use this as a laboratory for their studies and projects for years to come."

The blades have a diameter of seven feet. The wind turbine sits atop a 16-foot pole on the roof of the Academic Building and is tied in to the Consumers Energy grid. Don't be surprised if you see larger turbines on Kettering rooftops in the future.

"The more we diversity our energy recourse, I think the better off we'll be," Benson said.

Installers have attached vibration absorbing braces to the pole to reduce noise that could bother neighbors.