Sustainability at NAIT

Harnessing wind power at NAIT

Earth Hour 2011

October 4, 2011 - There’s a new landmark spinning and rotating above Main Campus.

Crews completed the installation of a wind turbine on Wednesday, Sept. 28 behind the NAIT Centre for Sustainable Energy Technology. The tower, erected in about half-an-hour using a crane, stands roughly 45 feet high, while the turbine’s three blades have a diameter of 12 feet.

The unit has been catching some people by surprise, says Jim Sandercock, chair of the Alternative Energy Technology program.

“It was interesting to see people who had walked that path frequently walking by and not noticing it, and then they notice it out of the corner of their eye and all of a sudden stop and look up.”

The unit is an important part of the Alternative Energy Technology program.

“This is an example of a turbine that the students can get their hands on and have a look at and work with,” Jim says.

NAIT is now the first post-secondary institute in the Edmonton-area to harness wind power, Jim explains.

The unit produces up to 2.4kW of electricity at a wind speed of 22 mph. At that point, the turbine spins at 330 rotations per minute (RPM). Anything much faster and a brake kicks in, which stops the turbine from spinning. That, says Jim, is important for the longevity of the machine. The unit is expected to last 30 to 40 years.

“They do have very good life spans,” Jim says.

The power produced is fed back into NAIT’s electrical grid using an inverter system.

Jim says units of similar sizes could be used in residential or farm applications.

Using the latest in high-tech equipment, students in the Alternative Energy Technology program monitor RPMs, electrical production and wind speed, says Jim. The data is then analyzed and over time historical information can be catalogued.

“As the program runs along, they will be able to get more and more historical data on wind speed versus turbine output,” Jim says.

In addition to wind power, students in the program learn about a variety of alternative energy sources, including solar, geothermal, biofuel, fuel cell, hydro and others.

Written by Frank Landry, Media Relations Specialist