PORTA CUSD Energy Savings Project

Why Did PORTA Decide To Undergo Such A Large Energy Project?

First a little history of our district, it’s buildings and the financial reasons for completing the project

FacilitiesPORTA is a k-12 district with Four buildings.Jr.-Sr. High approx. 100,000 sq/ft all electric

and 30+ years oldCentral—10 year old building, 50,000 sq/ft

very ineffiecientElementary—Remodeled building varies in

age 1960’s to 1990’s. Issues with Cooling system and moisture in building.

Utilities Prior to 2007Jr.-Sr. High—All electric, Prior to January

2007 the yearly average electric utility bill equals $12,000 per month.

Central—Air conditioned and Boiler—Average monthly electric equals $6500 and natural gas equals $5500

Elementary—Air conditioned and Boiler—Average Monthly electric equals $4600 and natural gas equals $4100

Deregulation—Affects on the DistrictDeregulation takes affect January 2007.

Does everyone know what deregulation was and how it affected your school?

Ways PORTA combated deregulation. Meeting with electric supplier Bid electrical supplier

Reduced costs from 12 cents per Kw to 9 cents as compared to 6 cents the in 2005-06 school year.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN IN REAL $$$$$$$$$$.

TOTAL COST TO EACH BUILDINGBeginning in January 2007 electrical costs

skyrocket. PORTA Jr-Sr High—Average Electrical cost

jump from $12,000 to over $24,000 per monthCentral—Electrical costs for Jan. 2006 equal

$4600 compared to just over $7000 for January 2008.

Elementary January 2006 electrical costs $2105, January of 2008 = $3604

January 2006 Electric bill for Jr-Sr. High equals 14,883 while January 2008 equals $33,156

The District ActsWith energy costs on the rise and the various

buildings becoming more and more costly to maintain the Board of Education decides to investigate ways to reduce costs and manage future electrical needs.

The district contracts with AMERSCO INC. to investigate energy saving solutions and provide multiple plans to help the district save funds.

District DecisionsImplement a Lighting Retrofit to make all district lighting more efficient

Replace Electric Hot Water Heaters with Gas Fired Water Heaters at Junior Senior High School

Install new DDC Controls at Junior Senior High School

Recommission Controls at Central and Petersburg Elementary

Replace Electric Heat RTUs with Geothermal Heat Pumps at the Junior Senior High School

Install a 1 kW solar panel at the Junior Senior High School for educational purposes

Install a 600 kW Wind Turbine to provide energy for the Junior Senior High School and Central Elementary

GeothermalWhat is Geothermal?The earth absorbs 50% of the

sun’s energy, so it stays at a constant temperature between 45-75 degrees just 4-6 feet below the surface.

Geothermal taps into this free energy stored in the earth to heat & cool a building or home.

Geothermal is safe, 400% more efficient than conventional natural gas or oil heating systems, provides healthy indoor air, and lasts for decades.

How Does Geothermal Work?Geothermal works similar to a refrigerator using a

pump to move heat stored in the earth through a looped system.

In the summer, the pump extracts the heat from the conditioned space transferring it out to the earth loop.

In the winter, the process is reversed by pumping heat from the earth moving it into the home or building.

Geothermal ModelClick to See

Geothermal Completed Summer of 2008

Replace Electric Heat RTUs with Geothermal Heat Pumps at Junior Senior High School

Completed Summer of 2008

Replace Electric Heat RTUs with Geothermal Heat Pumps at Junior Senior High School

Geothermal Goal: Provide Energy Efficient Heating and

Cooling

Goal: Provide Energy Efficient Heating and Cooling

Geothermal Energy Savings: 1,440,739 kWh per

year

Energy Savings: 1,440,739 kWh per year

Completed Summer 2008

Implement a Lighting Retrofit to make all district lighting more efficient

Replace Electric Hot Water Heaters with Gas Fired Water Heaters at Junior Senior High School

Install new DDC Controls at Junior Senior High School

Recommission Controls at Central and Petersburg Elementary

Completed Summer 2008

Implement a Lighting Retrofit to make all district lighting more efficient

Replace Electric Hot Water Heaters with Gas Fired Water Heaters at Junior Senior High School

Install new DDC Controls at Junior Senior High School

Recommission Controls at Central and Petersburg Elementary

Install a 1 kW solar panel at the Junior Senior High School for educational purposes

Goal: Encourage Learning in Engineering and Sciences

Install a 1 kW solar panel at the Junior Senior High School for educational purposes

Goal: Encourage Learning in Engineering and Sciences

Solar Panel Information Link

The Solar Panel seen outside the pool at the Jr/Sr. High is comprised of six smaller panels. In combination the panel can create 1Kw of energy, which is fed directly into the school and used as it is created.

The main purpose for the Solar panel is to provide learning opportunities for the PORTA Students.

Wind GeneratorThe final stages of the PORTA Energy Project

included a 600Kw wind generator. The electricity generated by the turbine feeds directly into the Jr/Sr High building. Any electricity not used feeds directly onto the grid and the district receives credits for the surplus. There is no storage of electricity on site.

Completed August 2009

Install a 600 kW Wind Turbine to provide energy for the Junior Senior High School and Central Elementary

Completed August 2009

Install a 600 kW Wind Turbine to provide energy for the Junior Senior High School and Central Elementary

Goal: Take Control of Energy Needs and Supplement energy use

Goal: Take Control of Energy Needs and Supplement energy use

The Hub The Nacelle

Energy Production: 1,015,132 kWh per Year

Energy Production: 1,015,132 kWh per Year

How does a Wind Turbine Work? Wind turbines operate on a simple

principle. The energy in the wind turns two or three propeller-like blades around a rotor. The rotor is connected to the main shaft, which spins a generator to create electricity.

Wind turbines are mounted on a tower to capture the most energy. At 100 feet (30 meters) or more above ground, they can take advantage of faster and less turbulent wind.

Wind turbines can be used to produce electricity for a single home or building, or they can be connected to an electricity grid (shown here) for more widespread electricity distribution.

Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

How does a Wind Turbine Work?

Inside a Wind Turbine

The Various Parts of the Wind Turbine.•Anemometer: Measures the wind speed and transmits wind speed data to the controller. •Blades: Most turbines have either two or three blades. Wind blowing over the blades causes the blades to "lift" and rotate. •Brake: A disc brake, which can be applied mechanically, electrically, or hydraulically to stop the rotor in emergencies. •Controller: The controller starts up the machine at wind speeds of about 8 to 16 miles per hour (mph) and shuts off the machine at about 55 mph. Turbines do not operate at wind speeds above about 55 mph because they might be damaged by the high winds. •Gear box: Gears connect the low-speed shaft to the high-speed shaft and increase the rotational speeds from about 30 to 60 rotations per minute (rpm) to about 1000 to 1800 rpm, the rotational speed required by most generators to produce electricity. The gear box is a costly (and heavy) part of the wind turbine and engineers are exploring "direct-drive" generators that operate at lower rotational speeds and don't need gear boxes.

The Various Parts of the Wind Turbine• Generator: Usually an off-the-shelf induction generator that

produces 60-cycle AC electricity. High-speed shaft: Drives the generator. Low-speed shaft: The rotor turns the low-speed shaft at about 30 to 60 rotations per minute.

• Nacelle: The nacelle sits atop the tower and contains the gear box, low- and high-speed shafts, generator, controller, and brake. Some nacelles are large enough for a helicopter to land on.

• Pitch: Blades are turned, or pitched, out of the wind to control the rotor speed and keep the rotor from turning in winds that are too high or too low to produce electricity.

• Rotor: The blades and the hub together are called the rotor. • Tower: Towers are made from tubular steel (shown here),

concrete, or steel lattice. Because wind speed increases with height, taller towers enable turbines to capture more energy and generate more electricity.

The Various Parts of the Wind Turbine• Wind direction: This is an "upwind" turbine, so-called

because it operates facing into the wind. Other turbines are designed to run "downwind," facing away from the wind.

• Wind vane: Measures wind direction and communicates with the yaw drive to orient the turbine properly with respect to the wind.

• Yaw drive: Upwind turbines face into the wind; the yaw drive is used to keep the rotor facing into the wind as the wind direction changes. Downwind turbines don't require a yaw drive, the wind blows the rotor downwind.

• Yaw motor: Powers the yaw drive.

Wind Turbine Blades

Just like the wings of an airplane, wind turbine blades use the airfoil shape to create lift and maximize efficiency.

The PORTA Wind Turbine Blades are 28 meters, just about 92 ft.

Yawing – Facing the Yawing – Facing the WindWind

• Active Yaw (all medium Active Yaw (all medium & large turbines & large turbines produced today, & produced today, & some small turbines some small turbines from Europe)from Europe)– Anemometer on nacelle Anemometer on nacelle

tells controller which way tells controller which way to point rotor into the to point rotor into the windwind

– Yaw drive turns gears to Yaw drive turns gears to point rotor into windpoint rotor into wind

The Future of Wind PowerCurrently, W. European countries produce 2% of their overall electricity through wind power. Within 10 years, these countries expect to get at least 10% of their electricity from wind turbines.

By 2025, the German government intends to get 25% of their electricity from wind turbines.

“Wind energy is the world’s fastest-growing energy source and will power industry, businesses, and homes with clean, renewable electricity for many years to come.” (http://eereweb.ee.doe.gov/windandhydro/wind_history.html)

Modern Wind TurbineCommercial wind energy is one of the

most economical sources of new electricity available today. Wind turbines can be set up quickly and cheaply compared with building new coal-fired generating stations or hydroelectric facilities. Modern wind generating equipment is efficient, highly reliable, and becoming cheaper to purchase. The environmental impact of large wind turbines is negligible compared with an open pit coal mine or a reservoir, and during their operation produce no air pollution. Because of these factors, wind energy is recognized as the world's fastest-growing new energy source.

Questions and AnswersHow much did the project cost?Does the turbine shut down when energy is

not being used?Does the Turbine turn into the wind on its

own?How tall is the Turbine?

Questions and Answers

What is the life span of the Turbine?How much money does the Geothermal save the district?How much will the energy project save yearly?

Matt Brue,

Superintendent

PORTA CUSD 202

17651 Bluejay Road

Petersburg, IL 62675

mbrue@porta202.org

Matt Brue,

Superintendent

PORTA CUSD 202

17651 Bluejay Road

Petersburg, IL 62675

mbrue@porta202.org