New SD school project promotes wind energy

LAKE ANDES, S.D. (AP) – The latest classes at Andes Central High School are a real breeze. Or rather, they take advantage of the breeze.

The Andes Central school district participates in the South Dakota Wind for Schools project, which promotes wind energy through project development and education. Andes Central and Charles Mix Electric officials recently dedicated the 60-foot turbine.

Charles Mix Electric, based in Lake Andes, and East River Cooperative contributed $4,000 each to make the project a reality. In addition, Charles Mix Electric donated time and machinery in the installation of the 60-foot turbine, located directly north of the school.

The balance of the project cost came from Andes Central's capital-outlay budget, said Superintendent Darrell Mueller. The school district used about $12,000 as a one-time investment in the project, he said.

“The turbine has been operating since mid-January, and it has averaged 5.7 kilowatt-hours a day during the last 1 1/2 months for a total of 254.5 kilowatt-hours,” he said. “We figure for every kilowatt-hour, it saves about one pound of CO2 (carbon dioxide). We figure we have saved 259 1/2 pounds of carbon dioxide that's not in the atmosphere.”

A website records the wireless data, which is transmitted off the turbine to a computer, he said. Twice since its Jan. 13 installation, on Feb. 1 and 14, the turbine has produced 25 kilowatt-hours of electricity in a 24-hour period, he said.

Mueller acknowledged the turbine hasn't cranked out a huge amount of electricity, averaging around 60 cents' worth of power daily.

But the lessons learned by the students are worth far more than 60 cents, Mueller said. The project familiarizes students with wind energy and other forms of “green” power, Mueller said.

The role of Charles Mix and East River electric cooperatives was instrumental in the project's success, Mueller said.

“The rural electrics have given a lot of support to their schools,” he said. “It's been very good to receive that kind of support from businesses in our community.”

The rural electrics assisted in a number of ways, Mueller said.

“They provided financial support, and they provided installation as an in-kind contribution,” he said. “We are also working with South Dakota State University through the Wind For Schools program.”

Russell Gall, the Charles Mix Electric member services director, had attended Wind for Schools workshops. An Andes Central school board member at the time, he checked into the possibility of starting the Wind for Schools program at one of the county's schools, hoping to incorporate the project into courses.

The project represents a large investment in equipment as well as funding, Gall said. Tackling the installation of a 60-foot turbine with multiple parts took an entire day, he said.

He and Mike Dangel, a Charles Mix Electric journey lineman, worked together on the installation, which proved to be the most difficult part of the project. A Minnesota company assisted with pouring concrete for the turbine, which required a 30-inch concrete foundation that was 18 feet deep, Gall said.

“This was my first time working with a wind turbine. It was a real learning opportunity,” he said. “(The turbine) is larger than the work we are used to at Charles Mix Electric.”

The Fort Randall Telephone crew of Tom Kocer and Ron Lensing took care of the cable, burying the wire. The turbine needed to be 150 feet away from any electric panels and required a 75-foot radius for safety reasons.

Students are learning a variety of lessons from the turbine, Gall said.

“They are learning as much about what the turbine doesn't do as they are learning about what it does,” he said. “You can't generate electricity when the wind isn't blowing. You still need other sources to provide power. Wind generation will always need coal-fired power, nuclear power or other types of power.”

Andes Central High School science teacher Kristen Maynard serves as the project lead teacher. The turbine provides a hands-on experience that further stimulates students' interest in wind power, she said.

“We use it as part of our environmental science class, where we are studying about renewable resources,” she said. “We are studying the different types of renewable energy. The more you use wind power, you aren't burning as much coal and you're reducing your CO2.”

The class also looks at the reduction in pollution with the use of wind energy, Maynard said.

“Our junior and seniors are working with it right now, but we hope to expand (the turbine's uses) in the future,” she said.

The Wind for Schools program works hand in hand with efforts to expand wind energy in South Dakota, Maynard said.

“Wind power is such a big thing. In South Dakota, it's one of the fastest growing industries. We are hoping that some of our students look at wind energy as a career,” she said.

“This (project) gives them hands-on experience. Any time you take the real world and apply it to the classroom, you will get a benefit from it.”

Students also improve their math skills with the turbine project, Maynard said.

“They work on the statistical part of it,” she said. “They graph the wind output every day and keep a record.”

Andes Central benefits from the river hills around the town, which help increase wind production, Maynard said. On the technical side, she is working with Wind Application Center co-director Matt Hein, who was part of an SDSU team of students that worked with Charles Mix County on wind studies. The Yankton Sioux Tribe was also working with wind energy at the time.

School board president Debbie Houseman said she was pleased that the Andes Central district was chosen for the program.

“We are bringing this technology to all students,” she said. “Kristen (Maynard) has raised (students') interest in these projects.”

The student interest was reflected in a winning entry at a recent science fair, which featured a small-scale turbine constructed by Andes Central juniors Esteban Rodriguez and Gerald Little Owl. They now advance to the regional science fair March 22 at Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell.

In that respect, the wind turbine has opened up new learning opportunities, Rodriguez said. “I feel like it's something that can be of interest (for students),” he said.

Even if they don't enter an energy-related field, students will reap lifetime benefits from working with the turbine, Mueller said.

“These kids are making a lot of decisions about energy use. This will continue to be an important part of their personal lives,” he said. “They become informed voters and taxpayers, and they become smarter consumers down the line.”

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Information from: Yankton Press and Dakotan,
http://www.yankton.net/