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Clean Energy Resource Teams <br />CASE STUDY. <br />March 2004 <br />The urban Wind Turbine at Macalester College <br />By Melody Sakazaki, The Minnesota Project <br />On a breezy day in <br />late April 2003, <br />' months of work came <br />to fruition. A wind <br />turbine, located near the football field on <br />the Macalester College campus in <br />residential St. Paul, went online. <br />The project itself is the result of an <br />ongoing relationship between Xcel and <br />the physical plant staff who have been <br />working together for a long time on <br />The project, a joint effort between the <br />college and Xcel Energy, is a small, 10 - <br />kilowatt wind turbine. Though this is a <br />fraction of the total energy consumed by <br />the campus, it is a step in the right <br />direction. Macalester sees it as "a <br />symbol that, as a campus, we need to get <br />It was also a joint effort in terms of cost. <br />Xcel contributed about $30,000 for the <br />turbine, with Macalester paying $15,000 <br />for the installation. The 2003 graduating <br />class is in the process of raising money <br />for the installation costs and is expecting <br />to contribute up to 40% of the <br />installation costs. <br />The turbine is currently one of only two <br />operating in St. Paul and perhaps even <br />the entire Twin Cities metro area. Since <br />urban turbines are so rare, the city does <br />not have a zoning code that regulates <br />their construction and operation. This <br />fact created a slight hurdle for <br />Macalester as they negotiated with the <br />city for a permit to erect the structure. <br />The zoning committee was <br />overwhelmingly supportive of the <br />project, unanimously approving the <br />project, and providing a temporary 18 - <br />month permit. This gave Macalester time <br />to erect and study the project and the city <br />time to develop a zoning code relating to <br />wind turbines. Luckily, the <br />neighborhoods surrounding the campus <br />have been very supportive of the project, <br />and those that have expressed concerns <br />consented after learning more about the <br />turbine. <br />more environmentally conscious." It also The college plans to share information <br />allows students the opportunity to through a website and a kiosk located <br />explore renewable energy first hand. close to the turbine. Information will <br />include real time data on the energy <br />