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Wind
Energy to Power Penn
Photos by Hans
Greene
Penn will make the largest U.S. retail purchase of wind-produced
electric energy through an agreement with Community Energy Inc.
(CEI).
The
announcement of this unprecedented clean energy purchase was made
last Wednesday at the dedication of the state's newest wind farms,
the Exelon-Community Energy Wind Farms at Somerset and Mill Run
in western Pennsylvania. The event was held at the Somerset Wind
Farm and coincided with Governor Mark Schweiker's proclamation of
"Wind Energy Week" for the week of October 22.
The University,
together with Penn State University, Philadelphia Suburban Water,
Carnegie Mellon University and Giant Eagle Inc., have signed on
to purchase 75 percent of what the combined 24-megawatt wind farms
will produce annually. Penn alone will purchase the output of five
of the 215-foot-tall, 1.5-megawatt wind turbines, equivalent to
more than 30 percent of the total energy generated from the two
new wind farms. This purchase represents the largest retail wind
energy purchase in the nation to date and will satisfy five percent
of the University's annual energy needs.
Barry
Hilts, Penn's associate vice president of facilities operations;
Mike Coleman, director of campus maintenance services; and students
from the Penn Environmental Group represented Penn at the ceremonies.
"We're very
excited to be part of a clean energy future for Pennsylvania and
the nation," Mr. Hilts said.
"Penn is leading
the way to a cleaner and more sustainable energy future," said
Brent Alderfer, CEI president. "Penn students, faculty staff,
and alumni can take pride knowing five large wind turbines are producing
new clean home-grown energy on their behalf."
Almanac, Vol. 48, No. 10, October 30, 2001
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ISSUE HIGHLIGHTS:
Tuesday,
October 30, 2001
Volume 48 Number 10
www.upenn.edu/almanac/
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