By next spring, the University of Delaware’s Hugh R. Sharp Campus in Lewes will convert to wind power for 100 percent of its electricity.
The University of Delaware and Gamesa Corp., based in Madrid, Spain, with its North American office near Philadelphia, signed two agreements Monday, Oct. 19, to install a 2-megawatt wind turbine on land northwest of the campus buildings and to establish a research agreement to study offshore wind power.
Beyond the construction of the land-based wind turbine, the partnership’s goal is to build the first offshore wind turbine in the Americas in 2011 or 2012.
A typical 2-megawatt wind turbine provides enough emissions-free electricity to power about 500 homes. The single turbine will supply enough electricity to power the entire Lewes campus of the University of Delaware’s College of Earth, Ocean and Environment.
Favorable winds along the coast spurred university officials to choose wind power to meet a commitment to reduce its carbon footprint. At times, the turbine is expected to generate more than enough power for the campus, and the excess will be released to the grid for use by Lewes customers.
With Gov. Jack Markell, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Secretary Collin O’Mara, Gamesa, university and Lewes officials looking on, University of Delaware President Patrick Harker, Gamesa North America CEO Dirk Matthys and College of Earth, Ocean and Environment Dean Nancy Targett signed agreements to create a partnership to operate the wind turbine and establish a research partnership on offshore wind.
Harker said the University of Delaware is committed to reducing its carbon emissions 20 percent by 2020 and securing 10 percent of its electricity from clean energy.
Harker said partnerships are critical. “Partnerships like these are powerful catalysts for change, and create a compelling culture of innovation whose benefits to the community are incalculable,” he said.
“To make change in green-focused workforce and economic development, in policy development, in sheer capacity for large-scale implementation of alternative energy technologies, we need partners,” Harker said.
“Delaware has made it clear that the health of our economy and the health of our environment can be intertwined,” said Markell.
“We can, and will, put more people to work while creating a more sustainable environment in which to live.”
Matthys, who was named Gamesa North America CEO last week, said the company entered the U.S. market five years ago and now has 900 employees.
“This is not just about Gamesa and the University of Delaware,” he said.
“This is about tapping into the full potential of wind. This can become a model – a positive force in the community – and help to reshape America’s energy future.”
Lewes Mayor Jim Ford said the city likes being first. “We are in a lot of partnerships, but this is one of the most exciting ones,” he said.
Research will include turbine erosion, avian impacts and policy issues related to renewable energy.
Information gathered from this project will help the university and Gamesa establish an offshore wind turbine.
|
