BSU gets wind power grant – $500,000 will be used to study low-speed winds

Engineering faculty and students at Boise State University were awarded a $500,000 federal grant to study new technologies to harness wind power.

"I think we’d all agree that research in the energy and energy systems is essential and is going to be increasingly essential as the need for energy grows and supplies change," said John Gardner, chair of BSU’s mechanical engineering department.

The research is especially important in Idaho, where wind development companies are trying to capture low-speed winds to generate energy, Gardner said. Wind is an alternative energy source that many consider environmentally friendly because it does not pollute the air to generate power. Idaho was ranked 13th in the nation for its wind energy potential, according to the American Wind Energy Association.

Melissa McGrath
The Idaho Statesman