Rosemount, MN, USA — Mesabi Range Community and Technical College (MRCTC) and the University of Minnesota invite you to attend an Open House on Saturday, April 14, 2012, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Eolos Wind Energy Research Field Station at UMore Park in Rosemount. Mesabi Range College and the University are hosting the event to showcase wind energy technologies and careers.

The event will provide opportunities for informal discussion about wind power with faculty and students from Mesabi Range College. Whether you are interested in a career in the wind industry or just want to learn more about this growing industry in renewable energy,
you are welcome to join us. High school teachers, guidance counselors and students are especially encouraged to come and learn about careers in wind energy.

The Eolos Wind Energy Research Field Station is a facility of the University of Minnesota’s St. Anthony Falls Laboratory in the College of Science and Engineering. The field station is a key outcome of a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) wind energy research grant in 2009. The University’s $7.9 million award, funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, supports an academy-industry consortium focused on wind energy research and education activities. The field station features a U.S.-made, 2.5 megawatt Clipper Liberty wind turbine and a 426-foot meteorological research tower. Commissioned in October 2011, the facility is equipped with state-of-the-art instruments and sensors to measure weather conditions, wind speed and turbulence

Mesabi Range College Wind Energy Technology Program is one of two Wind Energy Technician programs in the state of Minnesota. Last month, MRCTC completed installation of a Vestas V27 turbine that will be instrumented with nearly identical sensors as the Eolos turbine. This will allow technician and engineering students to compare and contrast operation and performance of turbines. The MRCTC turbine installation and a new program in Condition Based Monitoring are made possible by a grant from Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board and the Minnesota Center for Engineering and Manufacturing Excellence. MRC also has training facilities such as a Sonic Wind Profiler that will be used by students from both institutions in training and research.

More information about the Eolos Wind Energy Research Consortium can be found here and information about the Mesabi Range Wind Energy Technology Program can be found here.

The open house will be held from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 14 at the field station (see directions below).

Directions are as follows:

UMore Park is located 25 miles south of Minneapolis and St. Paul in Rosemount, Minnesota. Wind Energy Research Field Station at UMore Park:
2685 152nd Street East, Rosemount, MN 55068

From Interstate 94 in downtown St. Paul, take U.S. Highway 52 south (exit 242D) to County Road 42. Take a right (head west) on County Road 42. After one mile, turn left (south) on Blaine Avenue. From Blaine Avenue, take a left on 152nd Street East.

From Interstate 35, take the County Road 42 exit and head east. Continue on County Road 42 for 11.5 miles. Turn right (south) on Blaine Avenue. From Blaine Avenue, take a left on 152nd Street East.