Versar selected for new wind energy project funded by the U.S. Department of Energy

(27/05/2009)

Versar, Inc. has announced that it was one of 53 organizations selected for new wind energy projects funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), as announced by DOE Secretary Steven Chu. These projects, with total DOE funding of $8.5 million, are intended to address market and deployment challenges identified in DOE’s 2008 report: “20% Wind Energy by 2030.”

Versar’s $143,000 project, entitled “Spatially-Explicit Bat Impact Screening Tool for Turbine Siting,” will be conducted in collaboration with Exponent, an internationally known ecological risk assessment firm. The objective of the project is to develop a model that can be used to evaluate the potential for wind projects sited in different locations to impact bats, taking into account bat biology and behavior. Wind project impacts on bats has become a significant issue in many geographical locations, particularly where certain bat species are listed as threatened and endangered.

Dr. Ted Prociv, President of Versar, said, “We are pleased to receive our first funding under President Obama’s economic stimulus program and also that it is in an area, alternative energy, that Versar is actively pursuing. This project will expand on the work that Versar is currently doing for the State of Maryland’s Power Plant Research Program to assess the environmental impacts of wind power projects and help us in pursuing similar work for other government and private clients. We look forward to continuing to provide quality scientific services to meet the environmental challenges facing both our public and private clients.”

Related categories:  Wildlife protection   Wind power