Rhodes Renewable Energy Project

Blizzard 2011

2011-02-03T20:52:00.002-06:00

The Blizzard that hit the Chicago area was a strong wind event. On February 1st, we had a gust of over 48 mph and later in the early morning on February 2nd, another gust of over 41 mph.

As for the wind totals, the entire storm did not break any records. From 2/1 - 2/2, the total generation was over 31 kWh. This was far short of the records set last fall, but this wind made the blizzard one for the record books.

The wind did help keep our solar panels free from snow accumulation, so both systems are producing as normal.

Happy New Year

2011-01-21T14:05:00.003-06:00

In 2010, our turbine had its first full calendar year. In total, over 1,427.3 kHw was produced. The best month was April with over 188 kHw produced and the best season was the Fall with almost 450 kWh.

For both systems, we passed the 8,000 kHw mark as well as the 16,000 lbs of CO2 green house gas savings. In addition, we have produced enough energy to run a TV for over 56,000 hours, power over 62 computers for a year, as well as, 259 homes for a day.

Plus, more countries have reported in. Over the past few months, Australia, Vietnam, and Austria have been heard from.

We are looking forward to a great 2011

The Great Lakes "Cyclone"

2010-11-02T18:01:00.014-05:00

On October 26th and 27th, a major storm hit the Chicago area with extremely high winds. In fact, the pressure fell to 28.99 inches, which was a new record for October and was very close to the all-time low pressure reading of 28.70 inches that occurred in March of 1923.

With this storm, we set two new records. First, we set an all-time one day record of 40 KwH on October 26th and a new two day record of 78.9 KwH for 10/26 and 10/27. The turbine also set a new record of generation for over 80 consecutive hours. The turbine started moving the morning of 10/25 and did not stop until the early morning of 10/29

For October, we just missed 300 KwH to end at 296.9. This now brings our lifetime data to over 7,568 KwH. This would be enough to power a TV for over 52,000 hours. Additionally, we passed the 15,000lb mark of CO2 reduction from our two systems.

In addition, we were featured in the Chicago Press on Wednesday, October 27th with three TV interviews and one radio. The link from CBS2 Chicago is listed below:

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2010/10/27/windy-weather-has-schools-wind-turbine-going-non-stop/

School Re-Opens

2010-09-24T11:09:00.005-05:00

As we start the new school year, the summer production continued to do well. For the summer months, over 703 KWH was produced. All three months had a total of over 220 KWH each time.

In addition, September was been very active as well. In 2009, the month of September did not produce any energy from the wind turbine until the middle of the month. This year, every day except for two has had measurable wind totals.

Our new total production is 7,220 KHW. This would power 56 computers for a year, over 230 homes for a day, and a TV for over 50,000 hours.

Plus, we have had even more hits on our blog from across the United States and the World. Some of the notable US hits include Montana, Arizona and Tennessee, while our new countries include Spain, Egypt, and Turkey

Summer Update

2010-07-22T14:19:00.004-05:00

The turbine and solar panels continue to produce at similar levels as in 2009. In May and June of 2009, the combined kWh was 478.3. For the same period in 2010, the production was 464.7 kWh. One difference noted for 2010 is that the production has remained above the 200 kWh level since March and it looks as July will continue that trend.

Our Environmental benefits totals are as follows:

Energy to operate a TV for over 46,600 hours
Energy to power 52 computers for one year
Saved the amount of pollution an average car emits for over 487 days
Energy to power 214 homes for a day
Greenhouse gases avoided - CO2 13,334 lbs, NOx 27 lbs, SO2 68 lbs

Total kWh produced to date - 6,707.3

In addition, we have seen two additional countries (Slovenia and Ireland) as well as 5 more US states visit our blog. Two states of note would be Rhode Island and Hawaii as now both Atlantic and Pacific Oceans are represented.

April 2010 Record Setting Totals

2010-05-10T15:27:00.002-05:00

April 2010 set record after record. First, it has the best three days ever producing over 30 KwH (4/2, 4/29, 4/30) with April 30th setting the all-time record for daily production from both the wind and solar at 32 KwH.

Then the total for the month was 344.1 KwH beating May of 2009's total of 282 KwH. In addition, both the solar and wind systems set records for themselves. The solar had a new monthly all-time high of 155.5 KwH and the wind produced 188.6 KwH during April, again another record.

Finally, our life-time production crossed the 6,000 mark and our CO2 savings is now over 12,000 lbs. Our renewable energy has produced enough to power a TV for over 42,000 hours, power 47 computers for a year, as well as power 194 homes for a day.

May is also producing a lot of energy, so we'll see if we can get two back-to-back months of 300 KwH.

Happy Birthday to our Turbine

2010-04-13T09:38:00.003-05:00

April 9, 2010 marked the first birthday for our turbine. It is hard to believe that an entire year has passed.

During this period, the turbine has generated over 1,230 KwH. This would be enough to power a home in our area for two months. The record for any one day was set in September 2009 with over 28 Kwh. The best Month was December of 2009 with 142 Kwh. Winter also produced the most of the seasons.

In addition, we have had visitors from across the globe view our blog as well as many making a site visit. We are looking forward to the future.

March 2010 Totals

2010-04-06T17:53:00.006-05:00

March 2010 was a very impressive month. The month generated over 236 KwH from both systems. This was the best production since May of 2009. To date, we have produced over 5,700 KwH. This is enough energy to power a TV for over 40,000 hours or 185 homes for a day.

In addition, we have seen many visitors to our blog with our tracking widget. Dozens from across the United States, as well as, 16 from foreign countries have been logged.

Plus, our project has gone International. We had a request to see the turbine from a consultant from the Nomura Research Institute from Tokyo, Japan. He visited here during Spring Break to observe the turbine, as well as, ask questions about our experience and what we have learned.

In April, we will be celebrating our one year anniversary. The month has began with some very impressive wind production, so check back to see our totals.

Winter Season Totals

2010-03-08T18:55:00.003-06:00

Our first winter season has ended and it ended up being our best production to date. The turbine generated 340.8 KwH during the season. This time period was the best to date. This now brings the total production for both systems to over 5,500 KwH.

Plus, our widget showing who has been visiting has been very active. We have had various parts of the United States, along with many countries including Japan. India, United Kingdom, Russia, Italy, Romania, and Kuwait.

March 12, 2010 is also an important date as it is our one year anniversary of pouring the foundation. It is hard to believe a year has passed, especially with all the snow still on the ground.

New Tracking Widget

2010-02-22T08:26:00.002-06:00

Beginning in February 2010, we added a widget to see who is looking at our wind turbine blog. The widget is free from feedjit.com

In less than two weeks, we have hits from across the United States, along with three new countries. We wish we would of heard about this months ago. It will be very exciting to see who else visits our site.

Check it out by clicking the map on the right.

January 2010 Totals

2010-02-05T08:14:00.011-06:00

The first month of 2010 was a great month. The turbine generated 135.4 KwH, which was the second best month to date. So far the winter season has been our best wind producing time of the year.

This now brings our total for both the solar and wind to over 5,345 KwH. This is enough energy to operate a TV for over 37,000 hours and we have stopped pollution an average car emits for 388 days.

In addition, we have been asked to present at the ICE conference in St. Charles later this month. This is our second conference we have presented at as we had a presentation last November at the Illinois Education and Technology Conference in Springfield.

December Totals and 2009 Summary

2010-01-06T14:14:00.008-06:00

December was the best month to date. The turbine generated 142 kWH. This was the best total for any month to date.

The total wind generated production for 2009 was 851 kWH. For both systems, our production for 2009 was 2,158 kWH.

This brings our lifetime data to 5,155 kWH. This is enough energy for operate a TV for over 36,000 hours, power 40 computers for a year, as well as, power 166 homes for a day.

In addition, Schaumburg HS contacted us for information about our solar panels and Wind Turbine. We provided them with our installation guide.

2010 is off to a cold start, but windy as well, so this should get some great results for us. Check back often.

November Totals

2009-12-10T09:14:00.005-06:00

The month of November was very similar to October. A total of 179.3 kWh was produced. However, we accomplished two long range goals. First, our lifetime Kwh surpassed the 5,000 mark. In addition, we also have saved over 10,000 lbs of C02 using our solar panels and wind turbine since the project began in 2006.

Plus, we have been in contact with more schools. Maine West High School and Bloom High School have both asked us for information about the turbine.

Additionally, we have gone international. During November, we were contacted by St. Peter's Secondary School in Cambridge, New Zealand. They have also expressed interest in our solar panels and wind turbine and we have been emailing information this past month.

December has started off great (for wind that is). We will continue to report our findings at months end.

October Totals

2009-11-02T14:02:00.007-06:00

October 2009 turned out to be one of our better months to date. A total of over 121 KwH was produced. This was the highest since May 2009 and the third best month to date.

This now brings our total production for both wind and solar to over 4,800 kWH's. This could provide power for one of our computer labs for an entire year (actually 1/2 of another as well) and provide the energy needed for 153 homes for a day.

6-Month Mark

2009-10-19T13:46:00.008-05:00

The turbine has been operational for 6 months and we have made multiple observations. These may be just for our site, or true for all types of turbines this size, we can't be sure. Nevertheless, they include:

The most powerful winds come from the south.
The turbine can produce energy at winds between 4-5 mph so long as the blades are in the correct position.
Most of our wind comes from the west or south.
When the wind shifts, it does take at least 8-10mph sustained wind to turn the blades into the proper position.
When the wind comes from the North or East, the turbine needs a gust to turn into the position.
Our highest wind gust was 63 mph. Over the past 6-months, the turbine has had about 5 safety shutdowns (RPM>450). Each time it re-started and operated normally.
Many times when the wind comes from the North, it shifts back and forth from NE to NW. This does affect the blades shifting into position which then causes less production.
Except for a period in September, the turbine has been producing every week even with small wind amounts.
The wind does tend to decrease quickly once the sun goes down. However, it will go 24 hours plus if heavy wind is present.
Spring produced much more wind than summer 310KwH vs 176 KwH.
When it rains, wind may or may not be present. Not all rain showers include wind.
No impact on any type of wildlife has been seen. Plus, all grass around the base has returned to pre-installation condition.

As we start the fall and winter seasons, more observations will be made and we will include these into future postings.

Third Quarter Results

2009-10-01T16:08:00.002-05:00

The total energy production for the months of July through September was 176.7 Kilowatt-hours.

The total production for both the solar and wind through September 2009 was 4,603.2 Kilowatt-hours. This translates into the energy needed to power 35 computers for one year or to power a TV for over 32,003 hours.

In addition, to date we have avoided over 9,150lbs of CO2, 18.5lbs of NOx and 47.2 lbs of SO2. All of these are Greenhouse gases and contribute to global warming.

Plus, while the month of September was one of the most enjoyable months as to outdoor weather, it did not produce much wind until the end of the month. In fact, on September 28th we surpassed our daily production record from April 24th. Our new record hit that day was 28.6 Kilowatt-hours. Our team will be observing this fall to see if this record will fall.

Summer Visitors to the Turbine

2009-08-17T16:44:00.000-05:00

During the months of July and August, we had three visitors to the wind turbine. First, the Village of River Grove's Chamber of Commerce had their monthly meeting at Rhodes, followed by a tour of the turbine and a demonstration of the monitoring software.

Then, school district 88A in Crest Hill came with their Superintendent, Technology Director, and a board member to learn from us.

Finally, a group from Siemens came right before school began to see the site as well.

Second Quarter Results

2009-07-09T17:26:00.000-05:00

The total energy production for the months of April through June was 310.9 Kilowatt-hours.

The total production for both the solar and wind through June 2009 was 4004.5 Kilowatt hours. This translates into the energy needed to power 31 computers to one year or to power a TV for over 28,000 hours.

WTTW Feature Story

2009-05-12T17:14:00.000-05:00

Rich Samuels from WTTW 11 came to Rhodes to do a follow-up story on our wind turbine project. All the kids were interviewed and the story ran on Chicago Tonight on May 12th.

The link is http://www.wttw.com/main.taf?p=42,8,8&vid=051209c

Chicago Tribune Article

2009-05-01T17:10:00.000-05:00

The Chicago Tribune had a feature story about our turbine. The link is:

http://archives.chicagotribune.com/2009/apr/24/local/chi-windmills-n-zone-24-apr24

Students Present at Tech 2009

2009-04-29T14:39:00.000-05:00

Rhodes students traveled to Springfield on April 29th to present our wind turbine project to members of the Illinois General Assembly.

Our booth included newspaper articles and literature about our project, along with our "How to" guide to install a turbine.

In addtion, the students also created a floor model of our turbine. Our presentation created a great deal of interest.

Monitoring Goes Online

2009-04-12T15:01:00.000-05:00

The energy production website went online today.

Now from anywhere in the world, the energy produced is displayed in multiple formats as well as options for daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, and a custom option as well.

In addition, this page includes the production from our solar panels as well and can be viewed with the wind or seperate.

This page can be seen from our website or go to

http://view2.fatspaniel.net/PV2Web/merge?&view=PV/standard/Simple&eid=2222

Turbine Up and Running

2009-04-10T15:13:00.000-05:00

The turbine is up and running and students are now visiting the location to see first hand how it works.

For more pictures, go to our website http://www.rhodes.k12.il.us/ and look at our photo gallery.

Turbine Install Date

2009-04-09T17:00:00.000-05:00

The turbine and tower were installed today in front of the entire school as well as media from the Chicagoland area. These included: CBS2, ABC7, Fox32, WTTW (11), WGN (9), CLTV, Chicago Tribune, and the Pioneer Press.

In addition, the 4pm and 5pm news casts included our project, as well as, a live broadcast from Fox 32. Here are two of them:

http://cbs2chicago.com/local/Wind.Turbine.River.2.981275.html

http://www.rhodes.k12.il.us/River_Grove__Wind_Turbine.wmv

Date Finalized for Turbine Install

2009-03-31T16:54:00.000-05:00

The tower and turbine install date has now been officially set for April 9th. The following is the press release sent out:

NEWS Chicago Press Release Media Wire -1 of 2- chicagopressrelease.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NEWS MEDIA CONTACT:

April 6, 2009 John Mertes (708) 453-6813

RIVER GROVE SCHOOL TO INSTALL FIRST URBAN WIND TURBINE River Grove, Ill. –

April 6, 2009 – Moving forward with its long commitment in promoting environmental sustainability and teaching children about the importance of "green" energy, Rhodes School in River Grove will install the first urban wind turbine in the country on Thursday, April 9.

Not only is the environmentally friendly turbine the first of its kind in the Chicago area, it is a first for any urban setting in Illinois, as well as any other state in the country. Several organizations throughout the United States have tried similar installations, but Rhodes School, located at 8931 W. Fullerton Ave. in River Grove, is the first to actually do it.

"We have a long history of advancing "green" education and wanted to take the next step in teaching our kids about the importance of clean energy," said project coordinator and Rhodes School Director of Technology John Mertes. "This turbine allows children to learn about sustainable energy first hand while never posing a financial burden to the school or its students." The decision to install the first-ever wind turbine in an urban setting began in the fall of 2006.

After addressing community concerns and pursuing funding for over 18 months, Rhodes School was awarded over $20,000 in environment-related grant money ($10,000 from BP, $12,000 from the Illinois Clean Energy Foundation) and the project moved forward. While several rural schools in some parts of the country have access to wind turbines, they are all too large for any urban setting. As a result, children in larger cities are not able to see firsthand what a wind turbine is or how it works, making the overall concept very difficult to understand, which is the key to higher level understanding of any topic.

"The United States census lists that 80 percent of the population is centered in urban environments," said Mertes. "Therefore, 80 percent of children in this county are not able to see and learn about wind turbines first hand. Our turbine starts changing this inequity." Preparation of the turbine’s foundation and wiring will begin early in the morning of Thursday, April 9, and at approximately 1pm, a crane will lift the tower and turbine to finalize installation. Media covering the event should contact John Mertes immediately for more information about attending.

More information about the wind turbine being installed can be viewed at windenergy.com. ###
More About Rhodes School Rhodes School has a rich history with promoting and teaching children about green energy. In fact, in 2005 Rhodes School was selected by Governor Quinn for his Hometown Hero Award for its Electronic Recycling Program. In 2006, the school also received a grant for its solar panel program. Here is a list of Rhodes School’s environmental accomplishments:

• United States Conference of Mayors Gold Seal - 1994
• DCCA grant winner ($4,000)
• Governor's Excellence In Sustainability - 1990 - 2007
• Outstanding Waste Reduction Education Program from Illinois EPA and IRA - 2002
• National Recycling Coalition School of the Year - 2003
• SeaWorld Environmental Excellence Winner - 2003 ($10,000)
• Selected by the Illinois EPA as a "Directors' Green Youth Award" - 2003 & 2007
• Illinois Jr. Level School of the Year by the National Energy Education Development Program (NEED) - 1998, 2000, 2001, 2006
• EPA Children's Health Award - 2005 & 2006
• President's Environmental Award Finalist - 2005
• Lt. Governor Hometown Hero Award - 2005
• Illinois Clean Energy Solar Grant winner - 2006 ($10,000)
• Illinois Clean Energy Lighting Upgrade Grant winner - 2006 ($18,500)
• Illinois Clean Energy Wind Turbine - 2008 ($12,000)
• BP A+ for Energy Grant winner - 2008 ($10,000)

**The total grants dollars to date are $64,500. For more information and to cover the groundbreaking project, please contact John Mertes with the below contact information immediately.

John J. Mertes Director of Technology
Rhodes School 8931 W. Fullerton Ave River Grove, IL 60171
Phone: (708) 453-6813
Fax: (708) 453-0817 Cell:
(708) 362-0812
jmertes@rhodes.k12.il.us

Wind Turbine Foundation

2009-03-12T16:44:00.000-05:00

The foundation was poured today. It was a 7x7x7 pad that weights over 15,000lbs.

It will now take 28 days for the cement to cure, in which we are planning installing the tower and turbine on April 9th.

Turbine Contractors Selected

2009-02-01T22:40:00.000-06:00

Rhodes School has selected SunAir Sysytems as the general contactor to install our wind turbine. SunAir has a great deal of experience and was the company Rhodes used to install the solar panels.

In addition, H&H Electric was chosen to dig and pour the foundation pad. They will also provide a crane and additional equipment as the project progresses.

Rhodes Wind Project Gets Funded

2008-11-01T22:24:00.000-05:00

Rhodes School has been selected to install the first of its kind wind turbine at their location in River Grove.

In May of 2008, BP awarded the school $10,000 as part of their A+ for Energy Program. Then, in the fall of 2008, the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation selected Rhodes for another $12,000 to cover the remaining costs for the project.

The school will now begin the process of preparing the site and get ready to pour the foundation as soon as the weather allows