PORTA CUSD Energy Savings Project

Why Did PORTA Decide To Undergo Such A Large Energy Project? First a little history of our district, it’s buildings and the financial reasons for completing the project

Facilities PORTA is a k-12 district with Four buildings. Jr.-Sr. High approx. 100,000 sq/ft all electric and 30+ years old Central—10 year old building, 50,000 sq/ft very ineffiecient Elementary—Remodeled building varies in age 1960’s to 1990’s. Issues with Cooling system and moisture in building.

Utilities Prior to 2007 Jr.-Sr. High—All electric, Prior to January 2007 the yearly average electric utility bill equals $12,000 per month. Central—Air conditioned and Boiler—Average monthly electric equals $6500 and natural gas equals $5500 Elementary—Air conditioned and Boiler—Average Monthly electric equals $4600 and natural gas equals $4100

Deregulation—Affects on the District Deregulation takes affect January Does everyone know what deregulation was and how it affected your school?deregulation Ways PORTA combated deregulation. Meeting with electric supplier Bid electrical supplier Reduced costs from 12 cents per Kw to 9 cents as compared to 6 cents the in school year. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN IN REAL $$$$$$$$$$.

TOTAL COST TO EACH BUILDING Beginning in January 2007 electrical costs skyrocket. PORTA Jr-Sr High—Average Electrical cost jump from $12,000 to over $24,000 per month Central—Electrical costs for Jan equal $4600 compared to just over $7000 for January Elementary January 2006 electrical costs $2105, January of 2008 = $3604 January 2006 Electric bill for Jr-Sr. High equals 14,883 while January 2008 equals $33,156

The District Acts With energy costs on the rise and the various buildings becoming more and more costly to maintain the Board of Education decides to investigate ways to reduce costs and manage future electrical needs. The district contracts with AMERSCO INC. to investigate energy saving solutions and provide multiple plans to help the district save funds.

District Decisions Implement a Lighting Retrofit to make all district lighting more efficient Replace Electric Hot Water Heaters with Gas Fired Water Heaters at Junior Senior High School Install new DDC Controls at Junior Senior High School Recommission Controls at Central and Petersburg Elementary Replace Electric Heat RTUs with Geothermal Heat Pumps at the Junior Senior High School Install a 1 kW solar panel at the Junior Senior High School for educational purposes Install a 600 kW Wind Turbine to provide energy for the Junior Senior High School and Central Elementary

Geothermal What is Geothermal? The earth absorbs 50% of the sun’s energy, so it stays at a constant temperature between degrees just 4-6 feet below the surface. Geothermal taps into this free energy stored in the earth to heat & cool a building or home. Geothermal is safe, 400% more efficient than conventional natural gas or oil heating systems, provides healthy indoor air, and lasts for decades.

How Does Geothermal Work? Geothermal works similar to a refrigerator using a pump to move heat stored in the earth through a looped system. In the summer, the pump extracts the heat from the conditioned space transferring it out to the earth loop. In the winter, the process is reversed by pumping heat from the earth moving it into the home or building. Geothermal ModelClick to See

Geothermal Completed Summer of 2008 Replace Electric Heat RTUs with Geothermal Heat Pumps at Junior Senior High School Completed Summer of 2008 Replace Electric Heat RTUs with Geothermal Heat Pumps at Junior Senior High School

Geothermal Goal: Provide Energy Efficient Heating and Cooling

Geothermal Energy Savings: 1,440,739 kWh per year

Completed Summer 2008 Implement a Lighting Retrofit to make all district lighting more efficient Replace Electric Hot Water Heaters with Gas Fired Water Heaters at Junior Senior High School Install new DDC Controls at Junior Senior High School Recommission Controls at Central and Petersburg Elementary Completed Summer 2008 Implement a Lighting Retrofit to make all district lighting more efficient Replace Electric Hot Water Heaters with Gas Fired Water Heaters at Junior Senior High School Install new DDC Controls at Junior Senior High School Recommission Controls at Central and Petersburg Elementary Construction Implementation

Solar Panel Install a 1 kW solar panel at the Junior Senior High School for educational purposes Goal: Encourage Learning in Engineering and Sciences Install a 1 kW solar panel at the Junior Senior High School for educational purposes Goal: Encourage Learning in Engineering and Sciences

What does our Solar Panel Do? Solar Panel Information Link The Solar Panel seen outside the pool at the Jr/Sr. High is comprised of six smaller panels. In combination the panel can create 1Kw of energy, which is fed directly into the school and used as it is created. The main purpose for the Solar panel is to provide learning opportunities for the PORTA Students.

Wind Generator The final stages of the PORTA Energy Project included a 600Kw wind generator. The electricity generated by the turbine feeds directly into the Jr/Sr High building. Any electricity not used feeds directly onto the grid and the district receives credits for the surplus. There is no storage of electricity on site.

Wind Turbine Generator Completed August 2009 Install a 600 kW Wind Turbine to provide energy for the Junior Senior High School and Central Elementary Completed August 2009 Install a 600 kW Wind Turbine to provide energy for the Junior Senior High School and Central Elementary

Wind Turbine Generator Goal: Take Control of Energy Needs and Supplement energy use The HubThe Nacelle

Wind Turbine Generator Energy Production: 1,015,132 kWh per Year

How does a Wind Turbine Work? Wind turbines operate on a simple principle. The energy in the wind turns two or three propeller-like blades around a rotor. The rotor is connected to the main shaft, which spins a generator to create electricity. Wind turbines are mounted on a tower to capture the most energy. At 100 feet (30 meters) or more above ground, they can take advantage of faster and less turbulent wind. Wind turbines can be used to produce electricity for a single home or building, or they can be connected to an electricity grid (shown here) for more widespread electricity distribution. Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

How does a Wind Turbine Work?

Inside a Wind Turbine

The Various Parts of the Wind Turbine. Anemometer: Measures the wind speed and transmits wind speed data to the controller. Blades: Most turbines have either two or three blades. Wind blowing over the blades causes the blades to "lift" and rotate. Brake: A disc brake, which can be applied mechanically, electrically, or hydraulically to stop the rotor in emergencies. Controller: The controller starts up the machine at wind speeds of about 8 to 16 miles per hour (mph) and shuts off the machine at about 55 mph. Turbines do not operate at wind speeds above about 55 mph because they might be damaged by the high winds. Gear box: Gears connect the low-speed shaft to the high-speed shaft and increase the rotational speeds from about 30 to 60 rotations per minute (rpm) to about 1000 to 1800 rpm, the rotational speed required by most generators to produce electricity. The gear box is a costly (and heavy) part of the wind turbine and engineers are exploring "direct-drive" generators that operate at lower rotational speeds and don't need gear boxes.

The Various Parts of the Wind Turbine Generator: Usually an off-the-shelf induction generator that produces 60-cycle AC electricity. High-speed shaft: Drives the generator. Low- speed shaft: The rotor turns the low-speed shaft at about 30 to 60 rotations per minute. Nacelle: The nacelle sits atop the tower and contains the gear box, low- and high-speed shafts, generator, controller, and brake. Some nacelles are large enough for a helicopter to land on. Pitch: Blades are turned, or pitched, out of the wind to control the rotor speed and keep the rotor from turning in winds that are too high or too low to produce electricity. Rotor: The blades and the hub together are called the rotor. Tower: Towers are made from tubular steel (shown here), concrete, or steel lattice. Because wind speed increases with height, taller towers enable turbines to capture more energy and generate more electricity.

The Various Parts of the Wind Turbine Wind direction: This is an "upwind" turbine, so-called because it operates facing into the wind. Other turbines are designed to run "downwind," facing away from the wind. Wind vane: Measures wind direction and communicates with the yaw drive to orient the turbine properly with respect to the wind. Yaw drive: Upwind turbines face into the wind; the yaw drive is used to keep the rotor facing into the wind as the wind direction changes. Downwind turbines don't require a yaw drive, the wind blows the rotor downwind. Yaw motor: Powers the yaw drive.

Wind Turbine Blades Just like the wings of an airplane, wind turbine blades use the airfoil shape to create lift and maximize efficiency. The PORTA Wind Turbine Blades are 28 meters, just about 92 ft.

Yawing – Facing the Wind Active Yaw (all medium & large turbines produced today, & some small turbines from Europe) Active Yaw (all medium & large turbines produced today, & some small turbines from Europe) –Anemometer on nacelle tells controller which way to point rotor into the wind –Yaw drive turns gears to point rotor into wind

The Future of Wind Power Currently, W. European countries produce 2% of their overall electricity through wind power. Within 10 years, these countries expect to get at least 10% of their electricity from wind turbines. By 2025, the German government intends to get 25% of their electricity from wind turbines. “Wind energy is the world’s fastest-growing energy source and will power industry, businesses, and homes with clean, renewable electricity for many years to come.” (

Modern Wind Turbine Commercial wind energy is one of the most economical sources of new electricity available today. Wind turbines can be set up quickly and cheaply compared with building new coal-fired generating stations or hydroelectric facilities. Modern wind generating equipment is efficient, highly reliable, and becoming cheaper to purchase. The environmental impact of large wind turbines is negligible compared with an open pit coal mine or a reservoir, and during their operation produce no air pollution. Because of these factors, wind energy is recognized as the world's fastest-growing new energy source.

Questions and Answers How much did the project cost? Does the turbine shut down when energy is not being used? Does the Turbine turn into the wind on its own? How tall is the Turbine?

Questions and Answers What is the life span of the Turbine? How much money does the Geothermal save the district? How much will the energy project save yearly?

Questions Matt Brue, Superintendent PORTA CUSD Bluejay Road Petersburg, IL Matt Brue, Superintendent PORTA CUSD Bluejay Road Petersburg, IL