Alternative energy source blowing in the wind at Tufts veterinary school

North Grafton, Mass.

- Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University will conduct a feasibility study later this year to determine whether winds blowing across the campus are strong enough to generate power, Dean Deborah Kochevar announced.

At a time when individuals, businesses and governments seems to be looking at their "carbon footprint," the school looked at several alternative energy areas, including fuel-cell technology and solar power, before deciding to examine wind energy.

The school will seek grants for the study, which would require a 50-meter pole and a test wind turbine to be erected on campus for a year.

The turbine will determine whether the area has enough wind to make wind energy a feasible source of power.

The exact site has not been determined, but could be in the school's agricultural fields because of space requirements.