Cologne Public Works Facility Wind Power Proposal

Abstract

This project was completed as part of a year-long partnership between Carver County and the University of Minnesota’s Resilient Communities Project (http://www.rcp.umn.edu). Carver County has been exploring opportunities for renewable energy and energy efficiency in county government buildings. The Carver County Public Works building in Cologne was a potential candidate for a renewable energy installation, specifically a wind turbine. The goal of this project was to determine the feasibility and potential payback time for a wind turbine at the site. In collaboration with the county project lead, Nick Koktavy, a team of students in BBE 5733: Renewable Energy Technologies, calculated the energy output needed to support building functions, addressed environmental and economic implications of a turbine installation, and developed payback timelines, ultimately concluding that wind power was not feasible for this location. A final report and PowerPoint slides from the project are available.