(Source: Datamonitor)
Wyle, a provider of specialized engineering, scientific and technical services, has announced that the company is working with the US Navy on an environment friendly energy conservation project by performing a test and evaluation proof of concept effort that uses small wind turbine power as an alternative, renewable power source for use on military installations.
Wyle is conducting the project in collaboration with the Navy's Public Works Utilities Division at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md. Patuxent River was chosen as the proof of concept site because it has relatively moderate wind speeds, active flight operations and associated electromagnetic environment.
Testing began in early March with a Helix Wind S322 small vertical axis wind turbine. It will be used to evaluate the suitability and feasibility of a small turbine on an operating military installation to power remote instrumentation or small facilities that would otherwise be powered by a diesel generator or the electrical grid.
The wind turbine, nicknamed "Windy," was assembled and tested in Wyle's test laboratory wind tunnels in Huntsville, Ala. prior to being transported to Maryland and mounted on a five-ton field trailer. The savonius, or spiral, vertical axis design of the turbine was selected because of its suitability with the naval air station's wind speeds and flight lines, allowing it to catch wind from any direction.
"Wyle is focusing on small wind energy because it is one of the fastest growing forms of electricity generation," said Pam Barber-Mills, Wyle's project manager. "It is a clean, sustainable and renewable energy resource with the potential to produce a larger percentage of the nation's energy in the future."
Designed to be a one to two-year effort, the project will measure metrics including the offset of energy demands from the grid, carbon dioxide offsets, site analyses, system design reliability, wind speeds and radar interference.
"Larger wind rotor turbines have been shown to interfere with radar systems on military installations making smaller turbines like Windy an effective alternative," said Barber-Mills.
A service of YellowBrix, Inc.