BELLEVUE, Ohio – Norfolk Southern is erecting a 50 kilowatt wind turbine at its Bellevue Yard in Ohio to power the yard’s wastewater treatment plant.
Construction of the turbine is expected to begin in November and be complete by the end of the year. This is one of the first times wind has been used to provide power to a railroad facility in the U.S.
“Norfolk Southern is assessing opportunities to utilize alternative renewable energy sources where practical,” said Chuck Wehrmeister, vice president safety and environmental. “We are confident that the wind turbine at Bellevue Yard will be an immediate success, and we are looking at other facilities on the Norfolk Southern system to take advantage of wind power.”
The wind turbine, supplied by Entegrity Wind Systems of Boulder, Colo., consists of three 24-foot rotor blades mounted on an 80-foot tower. Based on the wind profile at Bellevue, it will generate more than 100,000 kilowatt hours annually to power the pumps and controls of Bellevue Yard’s wastewater treatment plant.
The plant collects and treats the water used at the yard’s maintenance facilities as well as rainwater runoff.
— Special to Railfanning.org News Wire
