Last week, DOE Energy Secretary Steven Chu unveiled a $45-million ARRA grant awarded to Clemson University, for the creation of a wind energy test facility. The purpose of the facility will be to study large-scale wind turbine drivetrain systems. The hope is that the results of this testing will help the US compete in the wind energy market and reduce the overall cost of implementing wind energy systems.
There’s a lot to be excited about when it comes to this undertaking. For one thing, it’s a real brick-and-mortar project funded by the ARRA. Additionally, the testing facility itself —located at the Charleston Naval Complex in South Carolina—is being designed with sustainability and longevity in mind; another indication that this grant signals a real commitment by the DOE to promote and support wind power on a large scale. According to the DOE, this project illustrates that the US is “committed to transforming the way it and the world uses and produces energy.”
Nothing in the press materials for this project mentions onsite power, which seems to indicate that this testing facility is geared towards turbine systems designed for large wind farm operations. While wind (and solar) farms are certainly a beneficial addition to our national energy supply, wind energy can also be a valuable player when it comes to onsite power. In our July/August issue, we highlighted some of these onsite wind power systems in an article entitled “Architectural Wind”. As that article illustrated, there have been many successful onsite wind power projects, including the installations at Logan International Airport in Boston and the Maui Ocean Center in Hawaii.
So what do you think? Is it okay to promote only large-scale renewable energy projects, or should onsite power be included in the mix? And, if big wind farms become commonplace, will that help or hurt small, onsite wind power systems?