The Wind for Schools Project
Wind for Schools (WfS) was funded by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado, with Kansas as one of six pilot states. The other states were Colorado, Montana, Idaho, Nebraska and South Dakota. The Kansas Rural Center and Kansas State University were the project partners, and worked to install 2.4 kW Skystream wind turbines at 15 rural schools during 2008-2010. The Wind for Schools program aimed to train young engineers for jobs in the rapidly growing wind industry, and to increase public awareness and understanding of wind power. Applications were solicited through the K-12 school districts’ communications networks, through the Kansas Association of Teachers in Science, and by word of mouth. Schools were selected on the basis of being a good wind site and having strong community, school administration and science teacher support.
Schools receiving WfS turbines were expected to incorporate education about wind energy into their science, math and social studies curricula, including how turbines work and how to collect, process and understand the data the turbines will provide.
A second goal sought to establish a fully functioning Wind Applications Center (WAC) at Kansas State University under the coordination and direction of Professor Ruth Douglas Miller. (See the October 2009 update from WAC.)
The WfS project selected the following sites in the first round of applicants in 2007:
Sterling High School, USD 376, Sterling
Walton Rural Life Charter Elementary School, USD 373, Walton
Ell-Saline School Dist. USD 307, Brookville
Concordia School District, USD 333, Concordia
Fairfield High School, USD 310, Langdon
These schools were selected for the second round in 2008:
Blue Valley-Randolph School, USD 384, Riley County
Deerfield, USD 216, Kearney County
South Barber, USD 255, Barber County
Pretty Prairie, USD 311, Reno County
The SE Kansas Educational Service Center-Greenbush, Crawford County
These schools were selected for the third round in 2009:
Colby County Community College, Thomas County
Hope Street Academy, Topeka, Shawnee County
Solomon School District, USD 393, Saline County
Appanoose Elementary, Pomona, Franklin County
Smoky Valley School District, Lindsborg, USD 400, McPherson County
Click here for a map of Kansas, which illustrates the wind resource at 50 meters above ground level, and the locations of the Wind For Schools sites (revised October 2009).
For more information, please contact Ruth Douglas Miller
or go to the Wind Applications Center website.