At Cape Cod Tech we have an “ARE 110” 2.5 kilo-watt (kW) wind turbine at 127 feet reducing our outside energy dependence. The ARE110 includes a gin pole which helps gain leverage in order to quickly lift it or lower it. The gin pole consists of 2 metal rods connected to each other in the shape of an “L”, the bottom part of the “L” being the part pointing up when dismounted. In order to mount the turbine, we’d have to force that bottom of the “L” down, bringing the larger part with actual turbine and blades up. In order to dismount it we’d do the opposite. This turbine is also grid connected, meaning that any energy produced from it we don’t use in the school, can be distributed to other parts of the school, or sold back to the electrical company. Our turbine has a cut-in wind speed of about 6 mph, which mean it will start spinning with a wind speed of 6 miles per hour. It also includes a cut-out mechanism in which the turbine will turn itself slightly in high winds in order to not get direct winds and damage itself.

The wind is fluid. What does that mean? When we think of fluids we usually think of it in a liquid form, not a gas. Fluids in fact can be a gas, just like the wind for example. The only difference from a water fluid, and an air fluid is the different states of matter; wind being in a gas form, and water a liquid. So when air moves, it can be captured by the blades on a wind turbine, much like a hydro-electric dam can capture energy from water. As the wind moves through the blade, like a fan, it spins a shaft which leads from the hub of the rotor to a generator. The generator in turn provides electricity, much like a mouse running on a mouse-wheel turn the light bulb on. At its essence, wind energy is all about transferring energy from one medium to another. The energy created by the turbine is then hooked up into a transformer which goes into our school grid.