GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba - John Paul Jones Hill is Guantanamo Bay’s highest point, named after a revolutionary naval war hero. On top of JPJ four wind turbines display how ancient philosophy and state-of-the-art technology combine to help propel renewable energy on Guantanamo Bay.
The turbines are a sign that Guantanamo Bay is on board with energy conservation and provide a percentage of the base’s energy since their installment in 2005.
“GTMO is a completely self-sustaining base,” said Arthur Torley, production division director of Naval Facilities. “We take no water or power from outlying Cuba.”
There are many benefits gained from using renewable energy such as wind power.
Although the base primarily runs on diesel generators, an average of three to five percent of the base’s power is provided by these turbines, said Torley.
On a good day the turbines provide up to 10 percent of power and have produced up to 17 percent at one point, said Torley.
Guantanamo Bay made a good candidate for the project with a constant, reliable wind of at least nine miles per hour — which is necessary for the turbines to be started up, he explained.
The turbines actually require electricity to launch the propellers and anything below 9kw isn’t worth the electricity.
“When winds exceed 75-80 miles per hour, the turbines are inoperable as well,” said Torley.
Brian Hodge, a wind turbine technician for Burns and Roe, described how the turbines operate.
“An anemometer (small device atop each turbine) gauges the wind speed and the wind vane monitors the direction of the wind,” said Hodge. “When the anemometer and wind vane gauge that there is either not enough or too much wind, the turbine will not operate.”
“The information is then passed to a central processing unit which decides which direction the nacelle [gear box and generator hub] will face,” he added.
Aside from the initial start, the turbines are self automated and take minimal manpower.
“These are small machines compared to most in the U.S., standing only 80 meters high compared to the 120 meters currently used,” said Hodge.
Hodge estimated the turbines stand a total of 262 feet with the blade. A turbine is no small structure and doesn’t come cheap.
The project was financed through an energy savings performance contract with Noresco, a Massachusetts company specializing in energy solutions, said Hodge.
Although the project was in the ballpark of $12 million the turbines will continue to provide cost effective power for years to come.
“With the daily cost of energy reaching up to $90,000, attaining 10 percent is a significant help,” justified Torley.
The percentage of power provided by renewable resources is expected to increase as solar and wind power as well as bio-fuel continues to replace diesel, said Torley.
“This is a huge step toward helping Guantanamo and the U.S get off the dependency of foreign oil,” Torley said. “In addition to generating power the turbines have sufficiently cut down on emissions from diesel fuel,” Hodge agreed. “The combination of solar and wind energy is the wave of the future.”
| Date Taken: |
01.03.2011 |
| Date Posted: |
01.13.2011 15:14 |
| Story ID: |
63493 |
| Location: |
GUANTANAMO BAY, CU |
| Web Views: |
61 |
| Downloads: |
0 |
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This work, Harnessing the Wind, by SGT Kelly Gary, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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