Mercer County Conservation District erected a 10-kilowatt (kW) wind turbine at Munnell Run Farm on October 19, 2006. The project was made possible by an Energy Harvest Grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. The 10 kW Bergey wind generator, which is attached to a 140-foot guyed lattice tower, is a grid-connected system that provides electrical service to a Welcome Center, a century-old bank barn, an educational facility, and a Rural Life Museum.
The wind turbine has been operating at Munnell Run Farm for over three years. During that time, it has been offline for repairs 149 days. Repairs have included rebuilding the inverter (power processing center) and reattaching one of the three-phase wires within the body of the turbine. See below for energy production details.
|
Total Production (10/19/06 - 1/4/10) |
9,865 kW (kilowatts) |
| Average Annual Production |
3,500 kW/yr |
| % of Projected Annual Production Realized |
55% |
| % of Annual Average Household Consumption Produced |
30% |
Munnell Run Farm uses another alternative energy to provide water to livestock. In 1995 Mercer County Conservation District installed a solar-powered watering system at the farm. Water is piped from a spring to a 500-gallon holding tank near the Munnell Run Trout Nursery. A 24-volt submersible pump, which is powered by photovoltaic panels, then lifts water to another holding tank located near the wind turbine. Water is then distributed to a rotational grazing system for livestock.
The PV panels are mounted to a rack that tracks the sun throughout the day. This passive tracking system helps maximize the amount of solar energy that can be harnessed and used to pump water.