Published: July 21, 2011 3:00 a.m.
Indiana Tech wants 133-foot wind turbine
Devon Haynie | The Journal Gazette
FORT WAYNE – Every college is associated with its own iconic images.
IPFW has its bridges, the University of Saint Francis has the Bass Mansion.
And if all goes as planned, Indiana Tech may have a wind turbine, in addition to its clock tower.
The Fort Wayne Board of Zoning Appeals will vote today on the height of a wind turbine university officials hope to place on the east side of the Zollner Engineering Building near Maumee Avenue and South Anthony Boulevard.
University officials want the turbine to be about 133 feet, including the reach of propellers, though the appeals board has suggested capping the height at 90 feet.
Indiana Tech hopes to have the turbine erected late this year. It will be used for educational opportunities in the school's energy engineering program and for providing electricity to the Zollner building.
"As part of our programs, we're trying to teach students the overall benefits and operational characteristics of wind turbines," said John Renie, associate professor of mechanical engineering. "They'll be able to monitor its performance as it's being used."
Renie said the 10 kilowatt turbine will cost the school about $110,000. To pay for the project, the school plans to use part of a $300,000 grant from Steel Dynamics.
Renie said the turbine will have three propellers, each 13 feet in length. In case of problems, the top portion can be lowered using hydraulics, he said.
Some environmentalists maintain wind turbines kill significant numbers of birds and bats, but Renie said those concerns are overblown.
"We kill more birds on our front living room windows than the wind turbines," he said. "Do wind turbines kill lots of birds? The answer is not to any large extent."
Renie hopes to convince the board of zoning appeals that the turbine should be as tall as possible.
"You want to be as high as possible to eliminate the influence of the buildings and the trees," he said. "We want to get up in the clean air."
