CRI hosts June 15 talk on advances in wind energy

BEMIDJI, Minn. — Dr. Dave Bahr will discuss advances in wind energy during a 3 p.m. program Monday, June 15, at the Bemidji State University Center for Research and Innovation.

Part of the Bemidji Area Natural Resources Continuing Education Consortium series, the 60-minute session, “Wind Energy Matures: The Second Generation of Wind,” is open to the public at no charge at the center’s off-campus facility located at 3801 Bemidji Ave. N.

The chair of the Bemidji State University Department of Physics, Bahr says wind energy is poised to become a significant contributor to America’s power grids.

“Community-based wind offers local economic development opportunities,” he said of the current favorable climate toward alternative sources for electricity. “Green industries and green-collar jobs are slated to expand dramatically in the next decade.”

Bahr will discuss wind generation on two levels. First, he will detail at the utility level by describing a geographic survey of wind resources and installed as well as planned generation capacity; utility turbines and generating equipment; resource assessment and siting issues; regional power grids and transmission access; ownership; and government policy and incentives.

Bahr will then detail institutional-level generation, giving an evaluation of storage and grid tie-in challenges; recovery of low-level energy; development of a smart regional power grid; and a distributed complement to the utility supply for a local grid.

An associate professor of engineering physics at BSU, Bahr teaches engineering mechanics and electrical engineering. He is on the BSU environmental advisory committee, a member of the Minnesota Project’s Clean Energy Resource Teams Northwest Minnesota Region, and active in the Agricultural Utilization Research Institute’s Minnesota Renewable Energy Roundtable.

Bahr, who has had 12 papers published in professional journals, has a doctorate in engineering physics from the University of Virginia. He has been an American Wind Energy Association member since 1998 and is a principal of 3Suns LLC, which works in research and development of sustainable technologies.

The presentation is part of an on-going series of Bemidji Area Natural Resources Continuing Education Consortium programs, typically held on the third Monday of each month. While covering topics of general interest, the sessions are designed for professionals working in the natural resource area and may be technical in nature. Groups participating in organizing the consortium include the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the Chippewa National Forest, Leech Lake Division of Resource Management, Ainsworth, and the Red Lake Reservation.

For more information, or to be added to the mailing list for the series, contact the Bemidji State University Center for Research and Innovation at (218) 755-4900; toll free, (888) 738-3224; e-mail, cri@bemidjistate.edu; or at http://www.cri-bsu.org.

FOR YOUR CALENDAR
June 15
– 3 p.m. – Bemidji State University Center for Research and Innovation hosts Bemidji Area Natural Resources Continuing Education Consortium presentation on advances in wind energy. Presenter: Dr. Dave Bahr, chair, Department of Physics, Bemidji State University. Location: Center for Research and Innovation; 3801 Bemidji Ave. N.; Bemidji, Minn. Cost: free. For information: (218) 755-4900; (888) 738-3224; http://www.cri-bsu.org.