UNT will use wind turbines to help power new football stadium

by Rita Cook of The Assignment Desk, DFW

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That's one green Mean Green stadium.

DENTON — The Mean Green at the University of North Texas are thinking even greener: The school’s new stadium, which will open in September, will be the first collegiate stadium designed to incorporate onsite renewable energy through the use of wind turbines.

The wind turbines will feed the electrical grid, providing power to UNT's new football stadium as well as other buildings on the west side of Interstate 35E.

Totaling three, the turbines come after a $2 million grant from the State Energy Conservation Office. Design and construction are expected to begin immediately, and the university hopes to have the turbines up and running by the end of the year, according to Buddy Price, manager news services for UNT.

Price says the wind turbines are another way the university can pursue renewable energy as part of their climate act plan.

“We were one of the first to start water research in the '50s and we’re still meeting [those] sustainable goals on campus,” Price says. “With the wind turbines, we can not only offer cost savings, but also add education opportunities for students while reinforcing our vision of sustainability.”

It is estimated that the three wind turbines will offset the energy consumption of the area around the school’s campus, called Mean Green Village, by about 6% and will eliminate 323 metric tons of carbon dioxide emitted annually.

The turbines, which will be seen from I-35E and I-35W, will be located southwest of the new stadium on the east side of Bonnie Brae.

Another noticeable difference with these wind turbines is that they will be smaller and quieter than those found on wind farms: They'll be equivalent to the volume of a normal conversation between two people, according to a press release.

"Our university has a 50-year legacy of environmental research and sustainability and we're proud to be the first university in Texas to install wind turbines on campus," said V. Lane Rawlins, president of UNT, in a statement.

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