"No imported oil, no smoke, no pollution," said Brent Alderfer, president of Community Energy Inc. He called wind power "a new crop in Pennsylvania."
Penn State will become one of the first to reap the harvest of the new wind farms here and near Mill Run. By January, energy from the 16 turbines in southwest Pennsylvania will supply 5 percent of University Park's electrical needs, or about 13.2 million kilowatt hours a year.
"We felt like it was the right thing to do . . . to set an example that we can operate the university in a way that is more environmentally sensitive," said Ford Stryker, manager of the university's environmental stewardship strategy.
Penn State's five-year wind energy contract represents the second biggest retail purchase of its kind in the country. The University of Pennsylvania, which is set to buy 20 million kilowatt hours annually, will have the largest.
The announcement of the top five wind-power consumers was the centerpiece of an event at Somerset Wind Farm, which turned out to be part press conference, part carnival.
Local students sported bandanas and T-shirts printed with a contest-winning design of the turbines and fall foliage. They waved flags and sang patriotic songs at the direction of their teacher.
As gusts of wind tousled the edges of the main tent, audience members — instead of fretting — smiled and laughed.
"It's just wonderful when that happens today," Alderfer said.
Glen Thomas, chairman of the Public Utility Commission, invoked a line from the student-designed T-shirt: " 'Wind power makes me happy.' That's exactly how I feel."
Thomas said the wind farms offer a win-win situation for utility companies, environmentalists, institutions like Penn State, and regular consumers. He even predicted that the turbines will become a tourist attraction.
"If you build it, they will come," Thomas said, quoting Field of Dreams. "People want to see what this new dynamic is all about."
Meanwhile on campus, members of the Green Destiny Council warmly hailed Penn State's decision to purchase wind power.
"I can say without a doubt that the many faculty, students and staff members who have worked to produce the Indicators and Mueller Reports strongly applaud Penn State's commitment to buying clean energy. Bravo," Tressa Gibbard, who oversees environmental affairs for the Undergraduate Student Government, said in an e-mail. She dubbed the contract "by far the most significant action taken in this vein."
One point in the Indicators Report — a 2000 GDC publication that evaluates the university on factors of sustainability — calls for Penn State to use more renewable, non-polluting sources of energy.
By purchasing wind power, Stryker said, the university can reduce its reliance on coal and other fossil fuels that run Penn State facilities.
The 16 turbines, assembled by Enron Wind, rise 215 feet into the air with 112-foot triple blades. Exelon Power Team and CEI will market the electricity they produce, adding 24 megawatts to the electric grid. Penn State's usage will be equivalent to the output of three turbines.
