New EnergiPlant Wind Turbine Provides Power and Public Space

June 02, 2017

Although the U.S. government announced this week it will withdraw participation in the Paris Climate Accord, UC San Diego is charging ahead with clean energy generation and has a new way to harness the wind to show for it.

Engineers for a Sustainable World, a student-led organization at UC San Diego, held a dedication ceremony last week for EnergiPlant, its new wind energy generation system at the Canyon Vista cafeteria on the patio overlooking the canyon. The system was built by local energy company Primo Wind and is supported by the UC San Diego Center for Energy Research (CER) through a grant from the California Energy Commission EPIC (Electric Funded Investment Charge) program.

The flower-shaped wind turbine is equipped with bench seating, solar panels, lighting and USB ports for charging phones or tablets, serving as an ‘al fresco’ work station of sorts. Students from ESW will analyze the energy data generated from the structure.

The collaboration also includes Cleantech San Diego and the San Diego Regional Energy Innovation Network as partners, and represents one of several CER initiatives to pair student groups and local energy startups on project pilot projects and technology testing.

“The project will directly benefit both ESW members as well as the UCSD and Cleantech community,” said William Torre, Program Director of Energy Storage Systems at CER. “In constructing and implementing the project, ESW members will gain hands-on technical experience while learning more about renewable energy like wind and solar. It will also provide opportunity to study the effects of various conditions like weather to further our understanding.”