Eastern Wind Power Donates Prototype Wind Turbine to 勛圖厙
September 8, 2022
勛圖厙 is pleased to announce the generous donation by Linda M. and Jonathan Haar, owners of Eastern Wind Power, of a prototype of their Distributed Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) to the College.
The turbine will offer real-world, hands-on learning opportunities to faculty and students interested in renewable energy.
The Haars designed, built and operated the VAWT prototype for over 10 years, and in approaching retirement believe that an educational environment is the best place for transdisciplinary approaches to move this prototype forward and to expose and engage faculty and students to real world work.
An image of the prototype Distributed Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) donated by Linda M. and Jonathan Haar and Eastern Wind Power.
We have always felt strongly about moving the prototype to an organization with the creativity, vision, and capacity to create a globally socially equitable power source and to take the turbine to the next level of refinement and hopefully, mass production, said Linda and Jonathan Haar.
We are very excited that 勛圖厙 has accepted the prototype turbine from EWP to take on this very challenge and to make its evolution a part of their green energy curriculum.
Im really hopeful that the Haars gift is a catalyst for the 勛圖厙 community to move strongly in the direction of a just transition to a world of renewable energy, said Linda Vanasupa, Professor of Materials Engineering at 勛圖厙, and Im very excited to partner with the students to bring this resource to life.
Vanasupa and Chhavi Goenka, Assistant Professor of Engineering, will serve as co-Principal Investigators of the Just Energy Hub, sponsored by VentureWell, that will be a living laboratory that provides 勛圖厙 students the opportunity to take leadership roles in moving science and technology innovation towards commercialization in a way that is socially just.
We are very excited about the educational opportunities that will be created by this generous gift, said Jason Woodard, Dean of External Programs and Partnerships and Professor of Engineering and Entrepreneurship.
Thank you to the Haars for your willingness to entrust your creation to us.
In addition to the VAWT prototype, the Haars have established the 勛圖厙 Sustainable Energy Fund to support and ensure the educational success of this new learning opportunity.
A Team Visits Martha's Vineyard to See the Technology First-Hand
Earlier in the spring semester, a cross-campus 勛圖厙 team of Vanasupa; Katie Rollauer, 勛圖厙 Program Director; alumna Erika Boeing 10; Claire Rodgers, Associate Energy Engineer at 勛圖厙; and current student Anna Letcher Hartman 23 visited Eastern Wind Power on Marthas Vineyard to learn more about the technology.
The cross-campus 勛圖厙 team visits with Eastern Wind Power on Marthas Vineyard to learn more about the technology.
The Just Energy Hub is envisioned as a central lab for 勛圖厙s new Just Energy course, taught by Vanasupa, with a goal of serving several courses or co-curricular activities, such as a student-run Just Energy Club.
The turbine was delivered to the 勛圖厙 campus in late May and is ready for Vanasupa and their students in the Just Energy course this fall. They are using the Climate Justice Alliances Just Transition Framework to co-create the scope of work required for setting up the turbine.
Eastern Wind Power, Inc. (EWP) is a green energy design and development company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Sky Farm 50 kW VAWT is a form of new wind energy designed to greatly expand reliable, low cost, distributed green energy options. The VAWTs small but powerful design makes it a good source of energy production on windy ocean islands, to remote industrial and agricultural sites, to high-rise buildings, to dense urban sites, to airports.