Spring Break
Wind turbines at Lafayette can become reality, speakers say
Ray Van Cleve
Issue date: 11/6/09 Section: News
In hopes of inspiring the construction of wind turbines at Lafayette College within the next three to four years, Paul Loeffelman and Jim Tolan of American Electric Power discussed how the wind power project in the Galapagos Islands is a perfect example of how sustainable energy can be used throughout the world.
At a lecture Wednesday night, Loeffelman and Tolan discussed how sustainable energy in the Galapagos, largest wind power project in the planet, has gone from an idea to reality.
Loeffelman and Tolan have traveled to several college campuses they believe have the climate to make sustainability a reality, Lafayette is just one of these colleges.
Lafayette has the resources to make it a reality. There's both human capital, both in a monetary sense and a inspiration sense, as well as wind.
Loeffelman and Tolan explained the process of how it came about in the Galapagos.
A DVD was shown, focusing on the impetus for the large scale conversion of energy from fossil fuels to wind power. It began when an oil tanker was beached near the shore of the Galapagos and leaked thousands of gallons of oil into the Pacific Ocean. After this accident, the people of the Galapagos started to push towards a more renewable source of energy. American Electric Power stepped in with grants and support from Ecuador, The United Nations and the Elecgalapagos Company, the power provider for the Galapagos.
This was one of the largest construction projects ever initiated in the Galapagos, and there were specific docks and roads built to support the construction and running of the wind turbines. The wind turbines began to go up on September 1, 2006 and the project is still going on with the hopes that eventually the Galapagos will be completely powered by wind energy.
Loeffelman, a business man, said that the project involved the combination of many different efforts from different engineering and political organizations. "Environmental protection is one of those, but not the only consideration" when deciding how to great and deliver electricity Loeffelman said.
At a lecture Wednesday night, Loeffelman and Tolan discussed how sustainable energy in the Galapagos, largest wind power project in the planet, has gone from an idea to reality.
Loeffelman and Tolan have traveled to several college campuses they believe have the climate to make sustainability a reality, Lafayette is just one of these colleges.
Lafayette has the resources to make it a reality. There's both human capital, both in a monetary sense and a inspiration sense, as well as wind.
Loeffelman and Tolan explained the process of how it came about in the Galapagos.
A DVD was shown, focusing on the impetus for the large scale conversion of energy from fossil fuels to wind power. It began when an oil tanker was beached near the shore of the Galapagos and leaked thousands of gallons of oil into the Pacific Ocean. After this accident, the people of the Galapagos started to push towards a more renewable source of energy. American Electric Power stepped in with grants and support from Ecuador, The United Nations and the Elecgalapagos Company, the power provider for the Galapagos.
This was one of the largest construction projects ever initiated in the Galapagos, and there were specific docks and roads built to support the construction and running of the wind turbines. The wind turbines began to go up on September 1, 2006 and the project is still going on with the hopes that eventually the Galapagos will be completely powered by wind energy.
Loeffelman, a business man, said that the project involved the combination of many different efforts from different engineering and political organizations. "Environmental protection is one of those, but not the only consideration" when deciding how to great and deliver electricity Loeffelman said.
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