Towering above S&T’s Stonehenge, the campus’s memorial to ancient science and engineering, stands a new wind turbine capable of generating enough energy to power up to 90 percent of an average household’s needs. The turbine, installed on Aug. 13, is used primarily for student instruction and research.

“We don’t get as much wind in Missouri as they do in other parts of the country,” says Curt Elmore, GeoE’86, associate professor of geological engineering and one of the researchers responsible for the turbine. “But this obviously allows us to demonstrate the capabilities of wind technology.”

The Skystream turbine, which has a rotor diameter of 12 feet, sits on top of a 33-foot monopole tower. The Skystream was procured by the Energy Research and Development Center at Missouri S&T. As for its location by the Stonehenge replica, Elmore likes the juxtaposition. “It’s cool to see the progression from ancient engineering to modern engineering in basically one place,” he says.