North Grafton, Mass. — Renewable energy is on the agenda for Tufts University's Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine.
Officials soon plan to kick off a $30,000 to $50,000 feasibility study to determine whether its possible to generate power from winds blowing across the school's 600-acre campus. A 2006 pilot study already determined that this type of wind technology could meet close to 50 percent of the school's electrical needs.
The project, announced last week by Dean Deborah Kochevar, involves measuring area wind speeds by erecting a 50-meter tower on campus.
"We have the land that would allow us to install a wind turbine, but central Massachusetts is not known for being a good area in terms of wind power," spokesman Tom Keppeler says. "We want to make sure a wind turbine can generate enough power to significantly impact our grid here."