Kirkwood to ‘decommission’ its landmark wind turbine

CEDAR RAPIDS — More than a year after “parking” its 12-year-old wind turbine due to its age and maintenance needs, Kirkwood Community College on Friday announced it will “decommission” the 417-foot-tall landmark structure on the north end of the college’s main campus in Cedar Rapids.

The 2.5-megawatt Clipper wind turbine was built in 2012 as both a training tool for students in Kirkwood’s former Energy Production and Distribution Technologies program and a revenue maker — generating more than $2.2 million for the college over its lifetime through a power-purchase agreement.

But interest waned in the energy production program — from 54 students in 2012 to 22 a decade later — and college administrators closed the program in 2023. That same year, due to numerous mechanical issues, the college hired a contractor to park the turbine “while administrators evaluated options for how to best move forward.”

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“The analysis revealed significant investments are necessary in order to repower the turbine,” according to a Kirkwood news release Friday.

The release also indicated the $2.2 million in revenue over its life span was short of expectations, given Kirkwood spent $4.7 million to build it and the piece that houses the turbine’s generating components.

“After considering the substantial financial commitment, in addition to the loss of in-house expertise with the closing of the Energy Production and Distribution Technologies program, the decision was made to start the decommissioning process,” Kirkwood officials said.

“The college is currently working with vendors to begin deconstruction, which will include the sale of usable turbine parts to interested buyers.”

When Kirkwood parked the turbine last year, officials considered three options:

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“The turbine was once a great teaching tool and revenue generator for the college, but that’s just not the case anymore” according to Kirkwood Vice President of Operations Troy McQuillen, who said decommissioning the structure makes the most sense in that it will free up resources for other sustainability initiatives.

“With the academic program ending, asset depreciation and rising annual maintenance costs, continuing to maintain and operate the unit no longer makes financial sense,” he said.

“Kirkwood has always taken pride in responsibly managing public funds and resources, so decommissioning the turbine is the right decision. There are more cost-effective renewable energy options available to us that we will be able to utilize.”

Climate plan

Kirkwood recently completed a multiyear climate action plan, setting a goal of reaching net zero emissions by 2040.

In that vein, by 2030, it aims to reduce emissions at least 40 percent, increase waste diversion from 37 percent to 50 percent, increase the percent of Kirkwood land designated as prairie, forest, or wetland from 7 percent to 9 percent; and improve its sustainability engagement score from 48 to 65.

The plan urges continuing existing initiatives like composting and recycling at The Hotel at Kirkwood Center, creating a sustainability village, sourcing food locally and using hand dryers in restrooms, among other things.

An Iowan last year asked The Gazette’s Curious Iowa series why the Kirkwood turbine never was turning.

McQuillen answered: "We recognize that this is a statue that represents Kirkwood. Obviously, there’s a giant K on the side of the wind turbine as well. I think that we want to make the best decisions moving forward with our campus plan and what our initiatives are.”

Vanessa Miller covers higher education for The Gazette.

Comments: (319) 339-3158; vanessa.miller@thegazette.com