WSU generators can power more than campus

WINONA, Minn., Aug. 7, 2001 -- Come spring Winona State will have enough generating capacity so Xcel Energy, the major Upper Midwest power supplier, can draw on the university for its transmission grid -- at a price. In the event of a power outage Xcel will be able to transfer power meant for campus to other customers. In exchange, Winona State will receive an ongoing discount on power rates from Xcel.

EXPANDED COVERAGE Reporter: Colleen Becker A 10-year agreement with Xcel Energy and Ziegler Inc. is the first contract between a Minnesota State Colleges and Universities institution and an electrical generator vendor. Deal hailed as a model for other higher-ed institutions.

Key to the arrangement is the installation of three 1,825-kilowatt, 16-cylinder generators at the Winona State heating plant, said Dick Lande, physical plant manager. The generators will allow the university to create five megawatts of electricty. That's enough, said Lande, to power all equipment in every campus building and every new building on the drawing board. Plus, the generators will be a backup for Xcel. The current 250-kilowatt generators, which are 15 years old, can run only emergency lighting. Heating and cooling equipment, water pumps, computers, research equipment and other electrical devices would not operate with the current generators. Installation of the wiring and buildings that will house the generators will be constructed this fall, Lande said. Everything will be ready for the generators when they arrive sometime next spring. All that will be left is to put the generators in place and bolt them down. Wiring already runs to all the buildings so there won't be any disturbance to the exterior of the buildings. The noise level standing on the street will only be 50 decibels, he said. Lande began pursuing the generator project three years ago after a 1-1/2-day blackout. The pumps that run through the tunnels under all the buildings on campus shut down and everything flooded. The project reached a milestone July 20, when the university signed a 10-year agreement with Xcel and Ziegler to install, monitor, maintain and insure the new generators. This is the first contract between a Minnesota State Colleges and Universities institution and an electrical generator vendor. Winona State publicist Joe O'Keefe called the contract a model for other higher-ed institutions. The deal includes a 10-year lease between Winona State and Ziegler for the new $3.3 million generators. The energy savings created by the new generators will cover the cost of the university's payments to Ziegler, said Lande.