Great River Energy wind turbine dismantled for maintenance
Maple Grove, Minn. (Oct. 22, 2009) – The wind turbine located at the Great River Energy headquarters building in Maple Grove, Minn. was dismantled today for maintenance. It is expected to be re-installed later this year.
The 200-kilowatt (kW) wind turbine has been a fixture of the Maple Grove landscape since November 2007 when it was installed at the Platinum LEED certified building.
Energy Management Services (EMS) of Gary, S.D. will perform necessary maintenance to increase the life of the turbine. Recent inspections noted problems in the gearbox that must be corrected.
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The turbine blades had to be removed from the rotor to reach the gear box. |
The Micon 700 turbine was originally installed in Denmark and was refurbished by EMS for Great River Energy. At full output, the turbine can produce approximately 200 kW of energy, enough to power nearly 300 average homes. Combined with solar panels, renewable energy provides up to 15 percent of energy for the Great River Energy building. Excess energy, mainly on evenings and weekends, is returned to the electric grid.
On-site renewable energy is part of the reason the Great River Energy building was recognized as the first Platinum LEED certified building in Minnesota. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a certification of the U.S. Green Building Council that measures the energy efficiency and sustainability of buildings, including energy use, construction techniques, material sourcing and other factors.
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