Tulsa World: OU's Norman campus to become wind-powered

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OU's Norman campus to become wind-powered

Construction crews work on the OU Spirit wind farm near Woodward. The facility will help power the University of Oklahoma campus in Norman. AP Photo

By TIM TALLEY Associated Press Writer
Published: 11/25/2009 10:58 AM
Last Modified: 11/25/2009 3:49 PM

OKLAHOMA CITY — The University of Oklahoma's plan to power its Norman campus with wind energy was approved Wednesday by the Oklahoma Corporation Commission.

The three-member commission, which regulates utilities and the oil and gas industry, voted unanimously for the "OU Spirit" wind farm project. OU President David Boren unveiled the project last year and has described it as one of the largest renewable energy commitments by a public university in the U.S.

Boren's press secretary, Jay Doyle, said approval of the wind farm represents a major step toward the university's goal of purchasing all of its electricity from wind power by 2013.

"OU is proud to become a role model as a responsible steward of the environment," Doyle said.

OU officials have said the University of Oregon and New York University, a private institution, are among the national leaders in using power generated by renewable sources on campus. In Oklahoma, the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond made the switch to 100 percent wind power in April 2006.

Officials at OU, Oklahoma Gas and Electric Co., the attorney general's office and ratepayer groups had already agreed to the project, which involves the installation of 44 wind turbines near Woodward in northwestern Oklahoma. Half of the turbines will be generating electricity by the end of November and all of them will be operational by January.

Officials said the turbines will be capable of generating up to 101 megawatts of electricity for the OU campus. Currently, about 10 percent of OU's power is generated by wind.

The project will add about $1 to the monthly bills of OG&E consumers but will also save an estimated $9 million in the annual cost of natural gas and other fuels that power OG&E's electricity generating plants, officials said.

Andrew Tevington, deputy director of the commission's public utility division, told commissioners the project will help the state diversify its energy portfolio and lower its reliance on fossil fuels for generating electricity.

Tevington said Oklahoma is among the nation's top 10 states for wind energy potential but does not rank high in the amount of energy actually generated by wind.

He said the wind farm project will "give the state an economic shot in the arm." OG&E will invest up to $270 million in the project and provide a new source of income for property owners whose land is leased for the turbines and transmission lines.

In April, OG&E donated $3.75 million to the Oklahoma Wildlife Commission to mitigate the wind farm's loss of habitat for the lesser prairie chicken, a stocky ground-dwelling bird found in parts of New Mexico, Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas.

The donation will allow the commission to purchase up to 10,000 acres to set aside as habitat in western Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Panhandle.

Corporation Commissioner Bob Anthony said OG&E and other utilities are appropriately expanding their wind energy potential after determining that ratepayers endorse the use of alternative energy sources.

"The citizens of the state are supportive," Anthony said.

By TIM TALLEY Associated Press Writer

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	Report Comment WhereIsThought, Raleigh (11/25/2009 11:06:23 AM) Love the headline. Invites so many jokes about Sooner hot air. :)
	Report Comment beau3985, Tulsa (11/25/2009 11:07:51 AM) I'm sure this is a nice thought in theory but will probably be a disaster in practice.
	Report Comment DrewTU, (11/25/2009 11:12:37 AM) It's not like they're running special electrical wiring from Woodward to Norman. They're just paying for this power to enter OG&E's grid. The stuff actually powering OU could be from a Coal plant in Purcell or whatever.
	Report Comment foulshot, (11/25/2009 11:15:56 AM) I doubt they will have a turbine in Boren's front yard.
	Report Comment Twilight in Paris, near the water in SE OK (11/25/2009 11:17:55 AM) I thought that they would generate their own power, not buy it from OG&E! LAME!!! If they were generating their own power and essentially 'took themselves off the grid', then that would be a story! Can you imagine how much money OG&E would lose if OU suddenly didn't have an electric bill?!!! Someday...hopefully soon, homes will be able to generate power from wind and not rely on power companies...then we will be off the grid and can be self sufficent...so long as the wind keeps blowing!
	Report Comment jeffery581, okc (11/25/2009 11:26:30 AM) A cool story and nothing but lame negative dumb comments....typical
	Report Comment Billl, Tulsa (11/25/2009 11:33:58 AM) Classes have been cancelled today. The wind isn't blowing.
	Report Comment TK1, (11/25/2009 11:41:42 AM) Sounds like they've been listening to the Pickens plan.
	Report Comment Jacky, small town Oklahoma (11/25/2009 1:38:56 PM) Awesome! Glad to see OU taking a step in the right direction!
	Report Comment uklynbereg, (11/25/2009 1:44:04 PM) How appropriate. I was in Oklahoma yesterday and the wind almost blew me off my feet. There will never be a shortage of that.
	Report Comment Corvetteguy, Tulsa (11/25/2009 1:44:14 PM) Don't get me wrong, but a pretty easy feat to acomplish when you have the money sitting....... Endowments at the University of Oklahoma increased 300 percent in less than 12 years and are nearing $1 billion. That's billion with a "b". Only 14 public universities have endowments of $1 billion or more. OU's current endowments are expected to total $850 million when state matching funds are included. Did you ever wonder how the University of Tulsa paid for those numberous new apartment buildings..........?
	Report Comment nunyerbisness, Tulsa (11/25/2009 1:59:25 PM) Because Kansas blows and Texas sucks helps
	Report Comment bruinsooner, (11/25/2009 2:11:30 PM) T. Boone is always talking about wind power. Surpising that the headline is about OU taking the first step and not OSU.
	Report Comment Jacky, small town Oklahoma (11/25/2009 2:12:36 PM) I agree bruinsooner
	Report Comment Jellis40, Plano (11/25/2009 5:32:10 PM) WOW, you are right, this headline is screaming all kind of joke material right now!!!!!
	Report Comment FUTURE WORLD, Tulsa (11/25/2009 5:39:07 PM) That's the key calloy. After installation your off the grid as far as bills are concerned. At that point your sending the grid a bill. Besides the OU football team could use some extra wind in their sails.
	Report Comment im4osu, Broken Arrow (11/25/2009 6:49:40 PM) Is Boone loaning em the cash?
	Report Comment heydiddy, Tulsa (11/27/2009 1:47:18 PM) Imagine if OU could develop a wind driven car! What a spin that would be!
	Report Comment wk, (11/29/2009 8:14:39 PM) It costs customers $1 more per month but saves OG&E $9mm annually in costs. Am I reading that right? So OG&E loves this arrangement since they make money coming and going.

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