Those Aren't Reindeer on Building 12
2014-12-16
Have you spotted the new additions to Building 12’s roofline? No, it’s not reindeer hanging out on the roof, its the four new wind turbines installed to help Building 12 and JSC go even further in meeting their renewable energy goals recently. In addition, JSC started a multi-year collaboration with Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) involving wind, rain, and green roof data collection.
The turbines were manufactured by Urban Green Energy (UGE) and are Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWT) that are rated at 1kW each. The turbine blades have a coating that increases the wind rating up to 130 mph. Building 12 already has solar panels that provide 2% of the building’s energy.
Even though the modifications to Building 12 were completed over a year ago, the wind turbines didn’t go up right away. The concrete supports and electrical infrastructure were put in place when the roof was completed, but instead of wind turbines, JSC installed wind, weather and “green roof” monitoring equipment in partnership with NREL. NREL collected and analyzed the data remotely for a year before the wind turbines were installed and will continue to monitor the data for at least one more year to see how the installation of the turbines affects the wind patterns.
JSC will receive all the data from NREL and will benefit by better understanding the performance and energy savings of the Building 12 wind turbines. The data will also quantify how the vegetative roof reduces storm water runoff and the potential for flooding.
NREL’s objective is to better understand how to site wind turbines effectively in the urban environment as well as assess their performance and safety. The wind study will help in the future design of small wind turbines to be used in urban areas. Better model correlation of wind turbines in the built-environment will ultimately lead to lower wind energy costs for the US.
The VAWTs on Building 12 are just the latest examples of how JSC is going green and saving money and energy. For more information about JSC’s energy savings program, visit the energy dashboard at http://centerops.jsc.nasa.gov/. You can also see more of JSC’s progress in sustainability at http://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/about/sustainability/.
By Michelle Fraser-Page
The turbines were manufactured by Urban Green Energy (UGE) and are Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWT) that are rated at 1kW each. The turbine blades have a coating that increases the wind rating up to 130 mph. Building 12 already has solar panels that provide 2% of the building’s energy.
Even though the modifications to Building 12 were completed over a year ago, the wind turbines didn’t go up right away. The concrete supports and electrical infrastructure were put in place when the roof was completed, but instead of wind turbines, JSC installed wind, weather and “green roof” monitoring equipment in partnership with NREL. NREL collected and analyzed the data remotely for a year before the wind turbines were installed and will continue to monitor the data for at least one more year to see how the installation of the turbines affects the wind patterns.
JSC will receive all the data from NREL and will benefit by better understanding the performance and energy savings of the Building 12 wind turbines. The data will also quantify how the vegetative roof reduces storm water runoff and the potential for flooding.
NREL’s objective is to better understand how to site wind turbines effectively in the urban environment as well as assess their performance and safety. The wind study will help in the future design of small wind turbines to be used in urban areas. Better model correlation of wind turbines in the built-environment will ultimately lead to lower wind energy costs for the US.
The VAWTs on Building 12 are just the latest examples of how JSC is going green and saving money and energy. For more information about JSC’s energy savings program, visit the energy dashboard at http://centerops.jsc.nasa.gov/. You can also see more of JSC’s progress in sustainability at http://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/about/sustainability/.
By Michelle Fraser-Page
Four new wind turbines have been installed on Building 12 to help meet the center's renewable energy goals.