09/10/2004
Science Center proposes wind turbine generator
Cleveland's skyline could soon sprout a large wind turbine. The Great Lakes Science Center has proposed building a 135-foot-tall turbine on its property to harness the wind blowing off Lake Erie. Estimates are that the generator could produce enough electricity to power 10 to 20 homes. It would be the first wind turbine along Lake Erie in Ohio and the first in the state built in an urban setting. The lakefront museum submitted a letter of request last week to the Cleveland Foundation for money to install a turbine. The project is expected to cost $160,000.
"It makes the statement that Cleveland is interested and ready for alternative energy sources," said Linda Abraham-Silver, the science center's president and executive director. "It's making the science accessible for the public. We don't think about where our power comes from." The idea was adopted as a project by this year's Leadership Cleveland class, a program of the Greater Cleveland Partnership in which local leaders network and become engaged in the civic agenda, Abraham-Silver said. The Great Lakes Science Center cannot take credit for the idea, she said. This year, members of the group approached the science center staff, which saw how the wind turbine could be used as an educational exhibit.
If the funding is approved, the turbine would be built adjacent to Cleveland Browns Stadium, just north of the science center's parking lot. It would be a demonstration turbine with an estimated capacity of 65 kilowatts - much smaller than the two built last year in Bowling Green, which are 1.8 megawatts each. The science center turbine would generate less than 3 percent of the power of one of the Bowling Green turbines. As proposed, the electricity from the turbine would tie into the Cleveland Public Power system. Planners envision the project raising awareness of the benefits of wind turbines, said Margie Flynn, who heads the Leadership Cleveland project team. It fits with the ongoing exploration by several groups - including Green Energy Ohio and Sustainable Cleveland - of a large- scale wind farm on or just off Lake Erie, and the potential of building an industry around wind in Northeast Ohio.
"It makes the statement that Cleveland is interested and ready for alternative energy sources," said Linda Abraham-Silver, the science center's president and executive director. "It's making the science accessible for the public. We don't think about where our power comes from." The idea was adopted as a project by this year's Leadership Cleveland class, a program of the Greater Cleveland Partnership in which local leaders network and become engaged in the civic agenda, Abraham-Silver said. The Great Lakes Science Center cannot take credit for the idea, she said. This year, members of the group approached the science center staff, which saw how the wind turbine could be used as an educational exhibit.
If the funding is approved, the turbine would be built adjacent to Cleveland Browns Stadium, just north of the science center's parking lot. It would be a demonstration turbine with an estimated capacity of 65 kilowatts - much smaller than the two built last year in Bowling Green, which are 1.8 megawatts each. The science center turbine would generate less than 3 percent of the power of one of the Bowling Green turbines. As proposed, the electricity from the turbine would tie into the Cleveland Public Power system. Planners envision the project raising awareness of the benefits of wind turbines, said Margie Flynn, who heads the Leadership Cleveland project team. It fits with the ongoing exploration by several groups - including Green Energy Ohio and Sustainable Cleveland - of a large- scale wind farm on or just off Lake Erie, and the potential of building an industry around wind in Northeast Ohio.
- Source:
- Online editorial www.windfair.net
- Author:
- Trevor Sievert, Online Editorial Journalist
- Email:
- press@windfair.net
- Keywords:
- Cleveland, USA, wind turbine , wind energy, wind power
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