An Idea Blowing in the Wind

By Guest Writer, 12-03-08

Our current environmental situation seems daunting when visualizing the whole picture. Liz Layne, a local veterinary in Bozeman, takes a different approach, she stated she takes on one thing in her life to focus on changing to be healthier and green. It is this perspective that can make a difference by implementing small changes; these changes will eventually lead to a lifestyle that is healthier for the individual and the environment. 

Change is the word that was mentioned throughout the recent campaign, so much so it became the platform that won the election. With the recent election results many of us are hopefully and looking forward to the change ahead. Presidents change. What else? Currently the City of Bozeman doesn’t allow wind turbines within the city. Recently, the city made an exception; a city permit was issued for a 1.9 kilowatt wind turbine on the Bozeman campus at Montana State University.

The turbine is not significant in size, but in its potential of information. The turbine’s presence is for research, but yet it rings of things to come as building codes and city ordinances, that don’t allow many of the sustainable technologies to be used, will need altering. Two years ago, it was waterless urinals which first arrived in Montana in the Bridger Bowl base lodge, and these same waterless urinals are now legally accepted and found in the Bozeman Public Library. The waterless urinals save water and the electricity to transport and clean the water.

With the wind turbine, MSU- Bozeman has the capability of determining how viable electricity generated by wind within Bozeman’s city setting, climate conditions, determine the maintenance requirements, and figure the life cycle costs. This research will validity or invalidate wind as source of sustainable energy for within a city setting, something that is often disputed. It is disputed because of the notion that too many objects with the vicinity of the turbine cause too much disruption which reduces the generation of power.

The wind turbine is part of the many research projects on the MSU campus. MSU’s Director of the new Energy Research Institute, Lee Spangler, in an online article Spangler cites solutions to the world’s energy problems must come from many different areas. “By tackling the problem from many different fields- engineering, agriculture, the physical sciences—we can find solutions and it will take multiple solutions, Spangler said.

The Energy Research Institute at MSU is an umbrella organization for more than 170 faculty, staff and students in 11 different departments working in the fields of clean coal technology, fuel cells, wind, coal bed methane, and biofuels.

One lesson that other cities can learn from is Rock Port, Missouri. It is a small city of 1,300 people. The city is the first city in the US to be 100% powered by the wind. The wind turbines are expected to produce about 16 million kilowatt hours annually, while Rock Port only uses 13 million. The excess wind power will be sold to other communities in the area.

Vanessa Vanbeusekom is a sustainable architect and owner of V2 Design an architecture practice in Bozeman, Montana that produces innovative and affordable spaces that inspires the creation of a better built environment. To contact Vanessa, click .