Alternative Energy Exhibit

Alternative Energy comes from Wind and Sun and Water. Use a kiosk environment in the shadows of a wind turbine capable of powering a small town to teach children and adults about the history and current use of wind power to generate electricity

Approach

Past Present & Future--the technology has been with us since the dawn of man. Today the Scandinavian countries use this resource as an integral day to day component of energy production. The Power House, located on the shore of Lake Michigan 65 miles north of Chicago is in a Class 4 wind zone. Logistics permit a 225Kw Vestas Wind Turbine to generate enough electricity to supply the museum's heating, air conditioning, and elevator use as well as channel excess production to the electrical grid serving northern Illinois.

The kiosk explains wind energy, demonstrates how the Vestas operates and provides monthly electricity production from wind as an integral part of the exhibit on alternative energy.

Lessons Learned

Remote connections with proprietary monitoring systems are not easy. Current tracking requires some human intervention but the purpose of existing software is not designed for visual demonstrations.

Animation compression technology adds to the visual experience by providing rich interpretative presentations of technical data. Visualizations were done in collaboration with Greg Chambers of 3D/sines.