Grant could help schools afford wind turbines

In 2008, Elkhorn Valley High School became the first Nebraska school to build a wind turbine with the Wind for Schools program.  Three other western Nebraska schools quickly followed, building a hands-on learning device that can also save energy.

To help expand the program even further, Sen. Annette Dubas' bill LB569 would set aside state money to help schools fund a turbine project.

"It (the program) is intended to educate rural America about the benefits of wind energy, and also to educate future leaders," she said at an Appropriations Committee public hearing on the bill Monday. "It's a good building block for the future."

The Wind for Schools program was introduced in 2007 in five states including Nebraska. The purpose of the program is to:

"Engage rural America in the concept that wind offers an alternative energy and economic future for rural America, engage rural school teachers and students in energy education, specifically wind and equip college juniors and seniors in wind energy applications and education to provide the growing U.S. wind industry with interested and equipped engineers," according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Not only do the turbines help educate kids and get them interested in renewable energy, they can also be a learning experience for the whole community.

"It's a really encompassing type of a program in that it can educate the students as well as the administration and the community," Dubas said. "There's been a lot of involvement and community action at the local level to get this program going ... but it does take money."

That's where the $25,000 comes in.

The total cost to build and install a turbine is about $15,000, said Jerry Hudgins, chairman of  the electrical engineering department at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, who helps run the program.

The schools have a few ways of getting funding for the projects, Hudgins said, such as fund-raising or applying for grants.

The funding from LB569 could allow for as many as four more schools to participate in the program next year, he said, but pointed out that the $25,000 would not be the main source of funding for the project.

"It will help offset their costs – otherwise they would have to find that money other places," he said. "This is just a small match to help finish off the project."

While the turbines will generate a small amount of electricity, Hudgins emphasized that the main purpose of the program is not to make money.

"It's not necessarily a good investment in wind energy production, it's a good investment in education," he said.

Dubas pointed out money from the stimulus package could potentially be put towards this program, as an investment in the future of wind energy in Nebraska.

"This would be a great use of dollars helping them get the program running," she said. "You could help a lot of schools with this $25,000."

jennagibson@dailynebraskan.com