The Fergus Falls and Wadena campuses of Minnesota State Community and Technical College (MSCTC) will seek bids by Dec. 15 for construction of wind turbines, two of which will be operational and one that will be used to train turbine technicians.
“Installation likely will take place on the Fergus Falls and Wadena campuses in spring 2011,” said Dr. Ann Valentine, president of MSCTC, “since it takes 30 days to cure a concrete pad. In Fergus Falls, we have adequate room on campus, and wind energy will tie nicely into the electrical grid.”
Funding for the wind turbines will come from federal stimulus dollars, Valentine said. She sees this as investment in green energy for M State and as a way to lower energy costs in the long run.
Valentine said that wind energy will hopefully power the needs at the student housing and other areas on campus in Fergus Falls. As for the wind turbine to be used for training, Valentine said that unit will be installed at the Wadena campus since that’s where other electrical classes are held.
Generation capacity for each of the two operational turbines, in Fergus Falls and at Wadena, is expected to be between 35 kilowatts and 65 kilowatts. M State officials see the project as a win-win situation, helping to power buildings on both campuses and providing a hands-on experience for technicians in training.
Valentine said the wind turbines will be similar to other ones seen in the Fergus Falls area. Focus on Energy, a nonprofit organization that works with state regulators and power companies, estimates the installation cost of a 35-kilowatt turbine at about $300,000.
“The wind turbines that MSCTC wants to install at Fergus Falls and Wadena are similar to a turbine that helps power the home and farm of Minnesota State Auditor Rebecca Otto,” said Finance and Commerce magazine writer Bob Geiger.
Otto and her husband, Shawn, live with their son in a renewable energy home they built in 1995. It’s what the Otto family terms as a house that’s “passive solar, wind-powered, geothermal and superinsulated.” They live on a small farm near the Twin Cities where they have horses.
M State will not be Minnesota’s only higher-education site offering wind-energy programs for wind turbines generating 100 kilowatts or less. Other schools offering wind energy-related certification are Mesabi Range Community and Technical College in Virginia, Albert Lea-based Riverland Community College, St. Cloud Technical College and Northwest Technical College in Bemidji.
