http://ithacajournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070918/NEWS01/709180322/1002
ITHACA — Ithaca College will present sketch plans tonight to the Town
of Ithaca Planning Board for a proposed tower to measure wind activity
as part of the college's steps toward building a wind turbine.
The 164-foot tower would be located at 144 East King Road between East King
Road and the Ithaca College Campus.
The tower, which would be held to the ground by guide wires, will
collect data for a feasibility study that will give the college an
indication of the possible energy outputs of different size turbines at
the location.
Tonight's presentation is the first step toward an official
submission from the school for a permit that would allow them to build
the tower.“So right now we are just trying to get a predetermination
from them as far as what we would need to include in the more formal
plan,” said Scott Abbett, a consultant with the Ontario-based
Sustainable Energy Developments Inc., the company the college has hired
to conduct the feasibility study.
The tower will need to be in
place anywhere from three months to two years to collect enough data
for the college to assess the location.
To put up the tower the school would have to clear about an acre of vegetation.
“That
is one of the big things that we're addressing right now with the board
is to talk about environmental impact and what kind of studies we need
to do from that end to mitigate any environmental impacts in putting up
the tower,” Abbett said.
A wind turbine would benefit the school both environmentally and academically,
said Dave Maley, a spokesman for Ithaca College.
“That
would allow us to potentially provide research and scientific study
opportunities but also to supply some portion of power to the college
using a renewable resource,” he said. “It's in alignment with our
sustainability efforts. We're pledging to work toward carbon neutrality
and this would be another potential step in that direction.”
Abbett
estimated that a wind turbine, depending on the size, could help
generated 5 to 15 percent of the school's energy each year.
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