Wind Turbines at the University of North Texas Stadium: Symbols of Sustainability

新stadium, designed byHKS Sports and Entertainment Group, is the centerpiece ofMean Green Village, which is located adjacent to the main campus and houses the university’s athletic facilities and administrative offices. According to Chris Mundell, associate and sustainable design coordinator for HKS DesignGreen, the design team knew from the project’s outset that they wanted to incorporaterenewable energy. “We looked at putting solar panels on the east entrance roof – in fact, we made it PV ready in terms of slope and structural capacity,” says Mundell. “Small wind turbines which could be placed on the lights were also considered, but this didn’t turn out to be cost-effective.” The team finally elected to install three larger turbines. Still significantly smaller than wind farm turbines, they are considered community-scale, standing 120’ to their hub and having 30’ blades.

Considering the Neighborhood Environment

这些涡轮机有几个advanta社区规模ges. One of the most significant factors was safety; while turbines have little inherent risk compared to other methods of power generation, the fact that these were to be located on a college campus introduced some additional concerns. “This is something that was considered during design,” says Mundell. “There were stories of turbines attracting kids, and that there had been a fatality. Therefore, we plan on making ground level access difficult.”

The turbines chosen by the designers (manufactured byNorthern Power Systems) have other safety features, as well. They are equipped with an automatic shutoff in case of high winds or a power grid shutdown. They will be sunk 40’ below grade to ensure their stability. During the installation phase, a safety zone has been established around the area. Additionally, the turbines are low-maintenance, requiring only once-a-year routine maintenance.

Playing with Practicalities

Noise, as well as safety, was also an initial neighborhood concern. However, according to an HKS press release, the turbines will only produce a noise level of 55 decibels at 40 m (131'), which is comparable to normal conversation between two people. “We built a scale model of the sports facility and the neighborhood,” says Mundell. “We reassured the community that the noise level of the turbines would be similar to other noise in the surroundings.”

The placement of the turbines on the site was determined by practical considerations. They were located about 200' from the edge of the stadium, where wind sweeps up from the south over the practice fields. “This area is also a引流easement, so nothing else could be built here. That means the turbines aren’t taking up space that could be used for something else, yet 6’ diameter turbine poles won’t interfere with drainage,” says Mundell.

The power generated from the wind turbines will be fed into the grid that serves Mean Green Village. Overall calculations place the offset of energy consumption at 5%–6%, although this number would appear higher, with as much as a 20%–25% offset, if it were not diffused across all of the athletic facilities, explains Mundell. Also, game days are averaged into the calculations, and those days represent a very large power demand. In terms of carbon emissions, the turbines should eliminate 323 metric tons of CO2 being emitted annually.

Assessing Progress

Energy production, carbon reduction statistics, and empirical data will be monitored by a web-based computer system within the facilities building. The turbines will therefore provide useful data for further research and analysis, as well as act as an educational tool.

It was a requirement of UNT that the new construction meetLEED Silver标准，以及足够的可持续元素纳入了球场，使其能够获得LEED金奖。设计团队希望涡轮机的安装将推动该项目的LEED认证达到白金。

UNT and the stadium design team hope that the turbines will have a triple benefit: they will serve as a symbol of the university’s commitment to sustainability; they will provide a learning tool for students; and they will make UNT’s Apogee Stadium one of the most energy-efficient stadiums in the country.

正如蒙代尔指出，球场具有较高的知名度，不仅对UNT的学生和卑鄙绿色的球迷，但对的连续延长I-35，它连接校园达拉斯和沃斯堡路人。我们希望此安装仅仅是个开始，更加涡轮可以找到自己的方式到在不久的将来，UNT的校园。