Logan Airport- wind and solar
Posted by JLow on Jun 13, 2010
Continuing the IVLP series, another highlight for me was the visit to Boston’s Logan Airport- particularly, their experiments with wind and solar energy for the airport’s use.
Massachusetts Port Authority- that manages sea- and air-ports
On the way there in the bus I did note these fans…
Fans on top of the building?
After the introductory presentations and meetings with the Massport officials on airport management, we were treated to a guided tour of their airport and the new terminal and facilities.
One of the highlights of the tour was their eagerness to experiment with alternative sources of electricity.
It was noted that they had also tried to harness wind energy for electricity, but somehow had stalled it whilst concentrating on harnessing that of solar. The joke was that those 6 fans from the above photo, had (only) managed to power a few PC’s!
And so with their focus on solar, this was what they had done, and done successfully insofar as achieving the power levels desired.
They call these the “solar trees”, and rightly so.
Solar trees on the carpark rooftop
A closer look at a solar tree
On the top deck of their multi-storey carpark, were these solar trees, all 3 rows of them, spanning the whole length of the building.
In our tropical Malaysia with year-round sunny days, with the right investments and attitudes towards conservation and alternative energy I believe this is an example that we ought to follow, for all types of buildings and administration. And I don’t mean small panels for token’s sake. To really harness solar energy for real use in buildings, dedicated budgets and physical space must be allocated for real returns- not just enough for powering a few PC’s!
If serious considerations are given, I believe we too can emulate such an initiative and set examples for other locals to follow.
