Meet The Man On The Wind Turbine

A video (via drone) of a man relaxing on top of a wind turbine is going viral. Who is he? Why is he up there? Meet Brother Joseph.

This is Brother Joseph Byron.

Via flickr.com

He's a Benedictine monk at a monastery and boarding school in Rhode Island.

A video of him on top of the campus' wind turbine is going viral.

The video was taken by Kevin Miller who was on vacation. It's been posted on sites such as Mirror, Reddit, Buzzfeed, and Fox 6, as well as being shared all over Twitter and Facebook. (update: the story has been featured on The Today Show, the New York Post, and ABC News, plus 30+ local, national, and international news stations.)

Brother Joseph led the effort to build the 200 foot turbine, which generates about 40% of the power needed for the 525 acre campus.

Mary Lena Taylor

You can see every acre from the top, plus stunning views of Narragansett bay.

He climbs the wind turbine frequently for maintenance reasons...

...but when the weather's nice he loves to bring students and visitors to the top with him.

In the summer months he likes to relax and reflect up there.

Via providencejournal.com

During a phone interview Bro Jo said, "It is not scary; it is peaceful and the views of the bay are spectacular," Byron said. "I am not afraid of heights."

Brother Joseph told the Providence Journal that he has never seen a drone before, and wasn't "particularly thrilled" by the encounter.

Matías Muños

pictured above: Brother Joseph and visitors from Chile take a selfie at the base of the Portsmouth Abbey wind turbine