A vertical wind turbine was recently installed at Kent
State University at Stark to promote energy conservation
and sustainability, and serve as a cross-discipline teaching
and learning tool for students.

A vertical wind turbine was recently installed at Kent State University at Stark, adjacent to the new Science and Nursing Building, which is scheduled to open for fall 2015 classes. The structure promotes energy conservation and sustainability, and supports Kent State Stark’s commitment to reducing the impact of campus operations on the environment. The wind turbine also will serve as a cross-discipline teaching and learning tool for students.

Funded with a Higher Educational Partnership grant from the Dominion Foundation, this is the first wind turbine to be installed on a Stark County college or university campus. Erected between the campus’s pond and wetland research area and the Science and Nursing Building, the wind turbine doubles as a public sculpture with a modern design and Kent State’s blue and gold colors.

“Faculty from many departments, including geography, geology, biology, psychology and more, will implement it into their curriculum,” says Christopher Post, associate professor of geography at Kent State Stark. “Faculty and students will capture the data and other information from the energy produced by the wind turbine for use in classes and research projects.”

The nearly 42,000-square-foot building is LEED® Gold-certified with many environmental features throughout, including a green roof and a controlled lighting system. Among them is the solar thermal hot water system, which uses the sun’s energy to supply the building’s hot water. Array panels on the roof collect warmth from the sun to heat glycol that continuously loops through tubes leading to and from water containment tanks in the lower level.

The new wind turbine at Kent State
University at Stark doubles as a public
sculpture that displays the university's
blue and gold colors.

“The average temperature that the system has been recording is 180 degrees,” says Brian Gardner, senior facility manager at Kent State Stark, who pointed out that the eco-friendly unit is the only one of its kind on any of Kent State’s eight campuses.

The temperature gauge can be monitored online and visibly fluctuates according to the availability of sunlight.

“Should the water in the tanks drop below 120 degrees, five instant heaters will automatically fire up, one at a time, to bring the water back to the minimum temperature,” Gardner says. “Other than the occasional use of natural gas for those heaters, the Science and Nursing Building’s hot water is heated by the sun.”

To see photos of the construction of Kent State Stark’s Science and Nursing Building, the wind turbine and many of the environmental elements, visit the photo gallery at https://flic.kr/s/aHsjYc7ea2.

For more information about the wind turbine, contact Cynthia Williams at 330-244-3262 or cdwillia@kent.edu.

To learn more about Kent State Stark, visit www.kent.edu/stark.