November 2011 - Parks & Recreation - 98

CONSERVATION TASK FORCE
National Recreation and Park Association

Case Study

Project Description
This innovative energy conservation and
education project is located in Glacier
Ridge Park, which is operated by Metro
Parks of Franklin County near Columbus,
Ohio. The project consists of a 7.5-kW energy wind turbine and two solar panels
that generate electricity for the park. In
addition to the wind turbine and solar array, a small education center called the
Wind and Solar Learning Center was constructed near the tower to interpret wind
and solar energy science and educate the
public about renewable energy sources.
This project is an outgrowth of the Metro Parks agency mission to promote environmental conservation. The flat, open
grasslands of the park are an ideal setting for siting wind and solar energy facilities, and robust public visitation to this
park makes it an ideal location for public
and youth education. This structure and
education facility are consistent with the
education focus of the park on alternative
energy sources.
In addition to the facility at Glacier
Ridge, Metro Parks partners with the
nearby Dublin City Schools in assisting
with curriculum development on renewable energy sources and other conservation principles.

Obstacles Encountered
When Metro Parks first proposed the alternative energy project, the electric distribution cooperative Union Rural Electric
rejected the plan. Union Rural Electric
(URE) and the 24 other Ohio electric cooperatives own Buckeye Power, and they
agreed to buy all their power from Buckeye. When the Glacier Ridge project was
proposed, URE staff believed that interconnection to any other power than that
which they generated would technically
violate that agreement. Research for the
project turned up a 1978 regulation that
required Buckeye to allow interconnection regardless of the all-requirements

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contract. Confirming that there were no
further barriers at either URE or Buckeye
Power, the process to write an interconnect agreement was launched. Today, that
agreement is used as the model for agreements in electric cooperatives statewide.
This infrastructure for the project was
completed in 2004, but that didn't mean
that regulatory hurdles were over. Once
the generation was functional, the next
obstacle was interconnecting with the
transmission grid, which is regulated
by the Federal Energy Reliability Council (FERC). A generation supplier must
be rated as a " qualified facility " before
connecting to the grid. Obtaining FERC
formal approval was a long and arduous
process, but eventually the FERC qualifying facility designation for Glacier Ridge
was approved in November 2007.

Project funding
Phase I included installation of a Bergey
10-kW wind power generator mounted on
a 120-foot free standing tower and a 48volt battery bank at a cost of about $80,000
in 2002. Phase II in 2003-2004 included
two 1,200-watt solar panels and 1,000
feet of cable connecting the generation
station with the park restroom and shelter for heat, lights, and pumping, at about
$30,000 in project costs. Fifty percent of
the project cost was covered by an Ohio
Department of Development grant to purchase the equipment. The Wind and Solar
Learning Center was completed in 2008.

Project benefits are many
This project has produced many benefits for the park agency and the public at
large. It has received significant publicity
and has been used in marketing materials by the agency.
Educationally, there have been a number of outcomes. A bi-directional meter
toggles between displays that show both
the kilowatts the park has consumed from
grid and the production of the generation

w w w . N R P A . O R G / c on s e r v a t i on

station in excess of consumption. An educational display explains to park visitors
how the system is structured, how alternative energy is generated, and how the park
is using it. Events at the park draw in visitors and enhance the learning process.
In addition to partnering with Green
Energy Ohio, Glacier Ridge is also working with teachers from nearby Dublin City
Schools, faculty from Ohio State University, and educators from the Ohio Energy
Project to develop supplemental curricular materials (science and math) that can
be used by all of Ohio's K-12 teachers with
their students when visiting the park. By
informing the expected 300,000 child
and adult visitors to Glacier Ridge each
year, Metro Parks is spreading the news
about one of Ohio's natural resources, renewable energy.
While the wind/solar project generates energy to power park facilities, the
primary focus is on education through
the interactive Wind and Solar Learning
Center. Electricity generation is metered
and measured. The educational benefits
are outstanding, as Metro Parks collaborates with local schools and informs the
public about the science of wind and solar power and the value of alternative energy sources.
For more information, contact: Mike
Heisey, Park Manager, Glacier Ridge
Metro Park, Franklin County Metropolitan Park District (Ohio), 614.891.0700,
info@metroparks.net, www.metroparks.
net/parksglacierridge.aspx.

Columbus Metro Parks

Wind and Solar Learning Center

November 2011 - Parks & Recreation

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