Wind Turbines at Harford Community College?

Wind is a renewable solar energy resource generated mainly by the uneven heating of the atmosphere. Wind energy has been used for centuries to power sail boats, pump water, and grind grain. It is being used today to generate electricity through wind turbines.

Large wind turbines, grouped in farms, can be used for utility applications to provide electricity for a region, directly into a grid. Small wind turbines can provide onsite electricity for smaller applications. As a renewable resource, wind is classified according to wind power classes, based on typical wind speeds. The power class scale goes from class 1 (the lowest) to class 7 (the highest). Class 4 and above are considered good resources for generating wind power with large, utility scale turbines; small wind turbines can be used at any wind speed. The amount of power a wind turbine delivers is a function primarily of wind speed and rotor area. Wind speed is affected by geographic location, terrain, and height above the terrain.

Maryland in general has good wind resources in portions of the state. Here at Harford Community College, anemometers 75 feet above the ground are in place, measuring and logging wind speed. Within the year enough data will be collected to indicate whether, and which type, of wind turbines will be effective in providing electricity to the campus.

Wind energy is clean and renewable; used in conjunction with solar power through solar hot water heaters and photovoltaic cells, it could be an environmentally friendly way of meeting some of Harford Community College's energy needs.