Tech college to collect data from wind turbines
From an article by Allison Wickler in the Manitowoc Herald Tribute Reporter:
Lakeshore Technical College’s research could provide information for turbine buyers
MANITOWOC — Andrew Hrlevich said his first experience climbing the tower of a wind turbine was a little intimidating.
“But like anything, you get better with practice,” Hrlevich, 20, said, which he’s done by climbing the Vestas wind turbine installed at Lakeshore Technical College in 2004.
Hrlevich, a wind energy technology student, helped Seventh Generation Energy Systems of Madison with the recent installation of LTC’s third wind turbine, the 50-kilowatt Endurance, on LTC’s Cleveland campus. The second, the Entegrity, was installed in June.
Both are funded by We Energies, and will be part of research that students will be involved in, said Doug Lindsey, dean of trade, industry and agriculture.
LTC has tracked daily energy and wind production for the Vestas since it was installed, Lindsey said, while it also has been used for student training and provided energy to campus buildings.
“We have probably the most-researched, midsized turbine in Wisconsin,” he said.
But for this project, the college will operate the three turbines “head to head” for a year, tracking things like electricity output at different wind speeds and how much maintenance they require — “kind of like Consumer Reports does,” Lindsey said.
Watch video of the turbine installation.
