JUNEAU, Alaska – The Coast Guard installed a Skystream 3.7 wind turbine at Coast Guard Station Juneau Tuesday morning, which is estimated to produce approximately 10 percent of Station Juneau’s electrical load and help the Coast Guard gain experience working with renewable energy and assess wind turbines use at remote Coast Guard sites in Alaska.
The Coast Guard worked closely with the City and Borough of Juneau on the project and followed a public review and involvement process to ensure the public and other government agencies had opportunities to provide input to the project.
The Coast Guard Partnership in Education program and State of Alaska Wind for Schools program is also working with the Juneau school District to provide data from the turbines and educational opportunities for students to learn about wind energy.
The Coast Guard has worked for about a year on this project and is excited to help introduce wind energy to the Coast Guard and to the students of Juneau.
“I congratulate the Coast Guard for its leadership in undertaking alternative energy projects that are both appropriate for Alaska and support a national policy of reducing our dependence on fossil fuels,” said Bruce Botelho, mayor of Juneau. “I am especially appreciative of the Coast Guard’s efforts to incorporate opportunities for Juneau students to study wind turbine technology and power generation.”
The Skystream wind turbine is on a 60-foot tower and has three six-foot blades with a 12-foot diameter sweep and can produce 2.4 kW at a wind speed of 29 mph.
The public will also be able to access real time turbine data through the school project website hosted by the Department of Energy through the Idaho National Lab.
A similar project is in the works in Sitka where the Coast Guard is assisting Mt. Edgecumbe High School’s Wind for Schools project near Coast Guard facilities which is scheduled to be completed in November.
