James Madison University

Turbine Installation

The Virginia Wind Energy Collaborative is pleased to announce the installation of James Madison University’s first wind turbine on Saturday, October 9 th. The turbine, a Bergey-manufactured XL.1 with a 1-kilowatt rated generating capacity, will be mounted on top of the 24-meter (80-ft) lattice tower adjacent to commuter parking lot C-10 and will be coupled with the existing 1-kilowatt photovoltaic solar array at the base of the tower for battery charging. The energy stored in the batteries will be used for powering instrumentation for measurement of system performance, data acquisition and radio relay to a database, and aviation lighting and lighting of the turbine so that it will be visible from I-81 at night. The installation will begin at 11:30 a.m. in parking lot C-10 following the reception to be held at CISAT for Parents Weekend. Two cranes provided by Cave Hill Corporation of McGaheysville, VA and member of the JMU Affiliate Program will be onsite to lift the turbine and installation crew. Attendance to the event is open to all JMU students, friends and family.

The Virginia Wind Energy Collaborative (VWEC) was formed in 2002 to promote the balanced development of wind energy in Virginia. VWEC provides information relevant to large, utility-scale wind as well as smaller residential, commercial and agricultural applications of wind energy in Virginia. VWEC also provides a forum for collaboration among stakeholders and organizations interested in promoting wind energy in Virginia. VWEC is supported by the United States Department of Energy and the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy. VWEC partners include for- and non-profit organizations, universities, and government agencies, of which JMU is a member. Any individual or group is invited to join in and participate in VWEC activities and events.

In recent news relating to wind energy generation locally, the Rockingham County Board of Supervisors on Wednesday, September 22 nd passed an amendment to the county zoning ordinance to allow for small (residential-sized) wind turbines and their supporting structures by special use permit. The property on which a system is to be placed must be zoned A-1 or A-2 agricultural use. The rated generating capacity of a turbine cannot exceed 50 kilowatts and the height of the tower cannot exceed 65 feet on parcels less than five acres of land or 80 feet on parcels of five acres or greater.

On a national level, and relating to utility-scale wind power production, a webcast seminar on colleges and universities buying green power will be held in conjunction with the Ninth National Green Power Marketing Conference on Tuesday, October 5 th from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. Room 2210 in the Health and Human Services Building of CISAT is reserved for those who wish to attend the webcast. Topics covered will include what is green power, why colleges and universities are interested in purchasing green power, and the steps are necessary to get your institution involved including mobilization of student support, addressing administration concerns, and choosing a product and supplier.