Energy Campus Emerging at U. of Toledo

Work on the University of Toledo’s Scott Park Campus of Energy and Innovation is well underway, the groundbreaking having taken place in September. Programs on the campus, a former overflow campus for the university, will focus on developing and marketing alternative-energy technologies, like wind, biofuel, and solar. Some of those technologies will help to power the campus, which is shooting for a carbon-neutral footprint.

A 100-foot-tall, 80-kilowatt wind turbine has already been erected on the site. More than 1.2 megawatts’ worth of solar panels, some of them developed by a company that got its start at the university, are being installed as well. (Toledo apparently has a reputation for being the solar capital of the Midwest. Who knew?) University officials have requested $75-million in stimulus funds from the state to develop the campus, but they say they will continue the project even without stimulus money.

Here’s a link to a local television-news segment that covers the installation of the wind turbine. You can also watch a segment about the dedication and groundbreaking for the campus in the embedded video below.