Wind turbine delivered to NMCC

Staff photo/Scott Mitchell Johnson
TURBINE — Crews from Staples Construction of Caribou used a crane last Wednesday to lift a rotor from a trailer truck on the Northern Maine Community College campus. NMCC purchased a used wind turbine nacelle that will be housed in the Wind Power Technology lab so that students in the college’s wind power program can learn its operation without the tower safety and weather concerns of having to climb to the nacelle.
By Scott Mitchell Johnson
Staff Writer
    PRESQUE ISLE — The largest and most expensive teaching tool ever purchased by Northern Maine Community College arrived on campus last Wednesday after logging several thousand miles.
    A used wind turbine nacelle, which previously operated in Denmark, was loaded on a ship a few weeks ago in Germany bound for Presque Isle via the port of Halifax, Nova Scotia. The nacelle houses the generator and controls of a wind turbine responsible for its operation. The turbine is a 12-year-old Vestas V-25 200 kilowatt nacelle assembly, which will be used to train students in the wind power program. By comparison, the wind turbine at the University of Maine at Presque Isle is 600 kilowatts, while the turbines on Mars Hill Mountain are 1,500 kW.
    The nacelle will be placed in the Wind Power Technology lab on a special mounting stand so that students can learn its operation without the tower safety and weather concerns of having to climb to the nacelle. The equipment includes the nacelle, rotor, blade and hub assemblies. It does not, however, include a tower or blades.
    “A functional nacelle and hub assembly will provide the opportunity for students to observe and interact with a complete operating system,” said Wayne Kilcollins, wind power technology instructor. “This is a great way for the students to practice hands-on activities with troubleshooting, maintenance and normal operation for that type of equipment.”
    Kilcollins said students are presently using “trainers” that allow them to study such components as hydraulics, mechanical systems, the gearbox and bearings.
    “This turbine assembly, or turbine head, will allow them to have everything in one package,” he said, “and they can see the full activities being done in an operating system.
    “All of the control systems and the power production components are within this nacelle assembly, along with the hub which allows them to work with the pitch system for the blades,” said Kilcollins. “The blades will pitch — or change the angle with respect to the wind — in order to change their output for the power. While we don’t have the blades, the blades are mounted to a bearing assembly and that portion is part of the hub and the rotor, so the students will be able to gain experience with the pitch system.”
    Kilcollins said the turbine head will be of great value to the 21 students presently enrolled in the wind power program.
    “In addition to seeing how the whole unit works together,” he said, “they’ll also be able to see how the equipment reacts to an emergency shutdown, how the hydraulics work, as well as how the electronic controls monitor power input.”
    The price of the community-size unit — along with shipping — was $195,000, which is being funded by a donation through the Northern Maine Community College Foundation.
    “Having a major piece of equipment like this was a dream for all of us involved in the planning and creation of the wind power program five years ago,” said NMCC President Timothy Crowley. “Our wind power program is already a leader in New England, and this equipment will further advance the program and most importantly, the knowledge and skills of our students.”
    Staples Construction, of Caribou, used a large crane to lift the 18,000-pound nacelle out of a trailer truck and then it was rolled into the Wind Power Technology lab.