On With the Wind

by Todd Ream
   If all goes well, a new member of the Greentown skyline will emerge this summer—a wind turbine.  The Eastern Howard School Corporation will review this matter at a meeting scheduled for January 10th, 6:30 p.m. at the EHSC office.  A 1028 hearing is also scheduled for February 7th at the same hour and place.  Assuming these discussions progress as planned, the School Corporation would then install a 900 kilowatt wind generation facility on the property it owns south of town. 
   Far from an easy endeavor to pursue, approval for the project has already come from authorities such as the Federal Aviation Administration along with a number of reviews designed to evaluate the environmental impact of such a facility (such as migratory birds and bats).  Of course, the historic availability of wind at the proposed location was also assessed. 
   However, the benefits coming from meeting these challenges, according to Dr. Tracy Caddell, School Corporation Superintendent,
will make it all worthwhile.  Facing declining appropriations from the state, Dr. Caddell offered that the initial purpose of this project is to “Help us protect the current revenue stream, protect teachers, and protect programs.”  In an age when countless school corporations have cut faculty members and programs, Eastern has avoided such unfortunate choices to date.  The addition of this wind turbine will hopefully help the School Corporation maintain its relatively strong financial position.    
   With costs for the project coming through energy bonds and green energy grants, the project is tax neutral in nature.  According to Dr. Caddell, Eastern “was one of fifteen schools awarded energy bonds for a renewable energy project.”  Initial projections concerning the savings created by the wind turbine project are approximately $250,000 per year.  While current electrical costs paid out by the school corporation are between $350,000 and $370,000 a year, the corporation also recently learned those expenses could rise by as much as 10% in the near future. 
   A net meter will be placed on the turbine and any measured energy generated will be deducted directly from the total bill for the junior and senior high school property.  As a result, the projected energy savings to the School Corporation over the course of the 25 year lifespan of the project comes in at approximately $7 million. 
   Beyond the savings the wind turbine will create for the school corporation, it will also provide teachers and administrators with countless opportunities to introduce students to the opportunities offered by such green energy projects.  Dr. Caddell noted that plans are currently underway to develop a website dedicated to the wind turbine as well as a fully-developed curriculum for grades running the full-range from kindergarteners to seniors in high school.  At a recent meeting of the newly constituted Parent  Advisory Board, the suggestion was even made that a contest could be held among the students to name the new turbine. 
    If all goes well, the students will return to school next fall with considerable green energy opportunities to study and assess right in their own back yard.  In addition, the School Corporation will have found a way to continue to secure positions and programs.