 "Photo: Erin Poppe")
Kansas has an abundance of wind flow throughout the state, enough that the U.S. Department of Energy has taken notice and made K-State the centerpiece for developing and harnessing the power and technology to utilize the force of the wind.
Since receiving a grant from the National Energy Lab in 2007, K-State has been home to the Wind Application Center which collects data to plan, locate and begin the construction of wind turbines all around Kansas.
Dan Nagengast, Director of the Kansas Rural Center and Wild Facilitator, sought out K-State’s Ruth Miller, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, to head a project that would begin a progressive trend toward producing energy through renewable sources, namely wind energy via wind turbines.
“We wanted K-State to do this because the computer and electrical engineering departments are great,” Nagengast said. “Ruth has had a lot of interest in renewable systems and knows what she is talking about so that seemed the best way to go.”
Nagengast said the state of Kansas is capable of producing 130,000 megawatts of energy from wind alone if all potential wind energy was exploited. The state currently only uses 10,000 megawatts of energy all year long.
Miller said the Wind Application Center is precursor to bringing on renewable energy to K-12 schools all around the state of Kansas.
“The Wind Application Center has three jobs,” Miller said. “One is the education of engineering students here at K-State so that they are equipped to enter the wind industry. Second is to cite the small wind turbines at K-12 schools around Kansas to encourage the education of wind energy through the K-12 curriculum. And third is to be the place to go to for advice on wind energy for anyone in the state.”
Miller said for a turbine to be constructed, there needs to be decent wind in the area all year long and it needs to be in an open space. She said if it is on a hill covered with trees, it will not work. There needs to be no obstructions near the turbine, ideally nothing within 20 times the height of the turbine nearby.
Right now, K-State has a turbine installed in by the corner of Kimball Avenue and Denison Avenue near the firehouse. Miller said this turbine is like the other ones being built at other K-12 schools right now.
Justin Leis, sophomore in electrical engineering, has played a key role in the wind turbine construction at K12 schools around Kansas.
“My job is to go to each of the schools we have selected to build a wind turbine,” Leis said. “I then make sure all of the software programs they have can communicate with our programs so we can share data.”
Leis said schools chosen the schools need to be where there is high wind all year long, and the principal, staff and faculty need to be willing to learn how to use the turbine and incorporate it into their curriculum.
“This will educate young kids how to use and learn about wind energy,” Leis said. “This is definitely our future.”
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