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In an effort to increase campus sustainability, UNM is in the process of installing a second turbine at the Ford Utilities Center.
UNM utilities engineer Larry Schuster, who is project manager for the turbine’s installation, said the second turbine, which was put in place in the center Saturday, will be 75 to 80 percent efficient. Schuster said the average electrical efficiency nationwide is only about 30 to 40 percent.
Schuster said the turbine will use excess heat produced from generating electricity, which has temperatures of about 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit, to generate steam. He said steam generated by the turbine will be used for heating and cooling processes in buildings on campus.
Schuster said the turbine will generate energy for UNM’s main and north campuses, and will reduce the amount of fuel the University purchases to generate energy.
“It allows us to make electricity and at the same time use the waste heat generated by the turbine,” he said. “We’re producing two forms of energy from a single fuel source, and as a result, we make our power at a much higher efficiency.”
Schuster said the center expects to finish the installation of the second turbine by May of next year.
The installation of the turbine is part of the University’s utility master plan that it released in 2000, Schuster said. He said the plan outlined the installation of two turbines in the center. He said the center started installing the first turbine in 2004, and the turbine, which is 75 percent efficient, started operating in 2006.
Schuster said the installation of the second turbine will allow the UNM to become less dependent to outside sources for electricity on campus.
“We’re doubling our capacity,” he said. “That gives us even more capability to supply the University’s needs with our own internal generator and not rely on external sources.”
The installation of the second turbine costs $11 million, Schuster said. He said the money came from a local bank loan made to UNM.
But he said that although the money used for the project was a loan, the second turbine will be able to pay for itself using money saved from less energy being purchased from outside sources. He said the second turbine is a good investment by the University.
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“If it were not a good investment, it would not have happened,” he said. “This unit will easily pay for its debt within 10 years. It is capable not only of reducing the cost of fuel for the University, but it also pays for itself. We are capable of paying for it with our budget as it is.”
Ashleigh Ray, a freshman studying special education, said the installation of the second turbine is a smart move by the University.
“If it’s saving an adequate amount of money, the price would eventually be equaled out,” she said. “While it may not immediately pay for it, in its lifetime, it would outweigh the costs of installing it.”
Ray said she applauds UNM for making the its energy systems more sustainable.
“I feel like saving energy, because it’s such a large campus, should be a major issue,” she said. “The University is getting to a point where it understands the need to make sure that it’s eco-friendly.”
But UNM employee Veronica Sims said she is skeptical about the project. She said the installation of the second turbine is unnecessary.
“Eleven million dollars is a lot of money,” she said.
Sims said considering the University’s debt, too much money is being spent for the project.
“We’re already in the hole,” she said. “We don’t need it. It’s not something that is a matter of life and death. They should take into consideration if they’re spending money wisely.”
Still, Schuster said the turbine proves UNM’s sustainability priorities.
“The University is committed to sustainability and to producing its energy needs in as efficient and economic way as possible,” he said.
