As talk of a 90-turbine wind farm in Columbia County has stirred up, similar discussions are taking place a little closer to home.

Proposals have been made for UW-Green Bay to get a wind turbine of its own. UWGB's Student Government Association vice-president, Nick Vlies, made working to get a turbine for campus part of his platform when running for the position with President Joe Tyrrell.

"We're right off the bay," Vlies said. "We have a great supply of wind here."

As for the proposal in Columbia County, Wisconsin Electric Power Company asked the state Public Service Commission in October 2008 for permission to build the Glacier Hills Wind Park. The 17,350-acre park would have the capacity to generate up to 207 megawatts of power, include access roads, an underground system to collect power from the turbines and a new substation to connect to the existing transmission system. The project is estimated at a cost of between $335 million and $413 million.

A competing proposal, by Invenergy Wind out of Chicago, to build the Ledge Wind project in Brown County would cost $161 million more than Glacier Hills.
Cost seems to be an issue when it comes to purchasing a turbine for campus. A small turbine costs $40,000 and is not a significant generator of electricity. Larger ones, which average 666 kilowatts, cost between $1 million and $2 million. This price is up from that of $900,000 in 2005.

According to Paul Pinkston of Facilities Planning, the average energy usage per month for campus is 1,510,000 kwh.

There are currently no funds set aside for the purchase of a turbine. Much of the SGA Environmental Committee funds are currently going toward U-Pass, the ability for UWGB students to ride city buses for free with a valid student ID. However, Vlies is staying positive.

"As the idea of wind turbines becomes more popular, the costs are going to continually go down," Vlies said.

In November 2005, a wind energy site assessment was completed at UWGB. According to reports, a group of students were interested in making the campus more sustainable.

Dean Rodeheaver, the assistant chancellor for planning and budget at the time, felt that renewable energy, specifically wind, was worth investigating for sustainability reasons and to find out if it could cut the electricity costs for the university.

In this assessment, suggested sites on campus were decided for where a turbine could be placed so it was not obstructed from the wind, and so it did not stick out like a sore thumb.

Sites suggested through the study include the south side of the Kress Events Center near the intramural fields. The turbine would not be big enough to get in the way of games played at this location. The other suggested location is across Sports Center Dr. near the marshy area.

There has also been talk about putting the turbine in Door County, however, UWGB would not directly benefit from the energy created there, but would instead sell the energy created and put the money towards energy costs. Vlies is pushing the idea of a turbine that is actually on campus.

Records indicate that, depending on the price of energy, a turbine purchased by the university could potentially be paid back in 16.1 to 28.4 years.

"This could greatly improve our image," said Vlies. "We can re-establish ourselves as a university that practices environmental sustainability."

The addition of a wind turbine would save on energy costs and cause less greenhouse gases. According to Vlies, this project would also reach Gov. Doyle's request to go carbon neutral.

Vlies said they are looking into working with the city of Green Bay, reaching out to other organizations for support and improving the environmental image of UWGB and the city.

"We're not your typical campus," Vlies said. "We're more environmentally friendly, which can be a bigger draw to new students. Having a turbine on campus can add to that draw."

Vlies does not feel that the addition of a turbine may necessarily happen this year, but steps have been taken, and the foundation is being set for this project to become reality in the near future.