A film about the University of Maine at Presque Isle’s efforts to install a wind turbine on its campus will take center stage on the Maine Public Broadcasting Network this weekend when the public television station hosts the statewide TV premiere of “Wind 101: The University of Maine at Presque Isle Builds a Wind Turbine.” The 30-minute film airs on MPBN this Saturday, May 8 at 11 a.m.
“Wind 101,” directed by local videographer and filmmaker Frank Grant and narrated by long-time theater professor Joseph Zubrick, follows the step-by-step process it took for the University to complete its major renewable energy project – from the very first energy survey to the very last installation detail – and the bumps encountered along the way. This film also shows the work the University has done to turn its project into an educational opportunity for its students and the greater community.
“We couldn’t be more pleased to have MPBN show this film about our wind project and it’s an especially delightful treat to have the film air almost exactly one year after our wind turbine was commissioned,” President Don Zillman said. “We’re very excited to have people across the state learning about the sustainable energy efforts happening right here in northern Maine.”
The University’s 600 kW wind turbine, commissioned on May 14, 2009, is the very first mid-size wind turbine to be installed on a University campus in the State of Maine. Initial estimates were that the wind turbine would produce about 1 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year and save the institution more than $100,000 annually in electricity charges. Since last July, when diagnostic testing was completed and regular energy generation began, the University’s turbine has generated more than 582,000 kW of electricity and has saved the campus more than $85,000.
“Wind 101” features captivating footage that takes viewers into the classroom, out into the field, and up to the top of the wind turbine, and includes interviews with faculty, students and community members sharing their opinions about the project. Sponsors of the “Wind 101” film showing on MPBN are Woodard & Curran and Soderberg Company Incorporated.
For more information about UMPI’s wind project, call 768-9452 or visit www.umpi.edu/wind. To view a 30-second trailer of the film, visit www.umpi.edu/wind/wind-101.