Wabash National unveils wind turbine

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - A local manufacturing company is making strides to going green by using wind.

Friday morning Wabash National unveiled a 55-foot wind turbine to help generate power for part of its truck trailer manufacturing plant in Lafayette.

The 2.4 kilowatt wind turbine is quiet, non-polluting and will help reduce carbon emissions by approximately 25 tons a year.

This is the first wind turbine Wabash National has used to try and save energy.

"It can reduce some of our electricity usage at the plant," Director of Corporate Facilities and Maintenance at Wabash National Ron Griggs said. "Moving forward, we'll be evaluating this opportunity of moving forward if we'll be adding wind turbines throughout the corporation."

"It decreases our need for coal based fuel need to generate electricity," Director of Corporate Environmental Health and Safety at Wabash National Andrew Frisbie said. "So having that on-site source is an additional piece to reducing our impact."

Wabash National has put several environmental initiatives in place during the past several years .. including installing hand dryers in bathrooms to reduce paper towel usage.