Sherrod Elementary to get wind turbine

WASILLA — A new wind turbine is in store for Sherrod Elementary. The Planning and Zoning Commission has given the OK for construction of a wind turbine called a Skystream at the Wasilla school.

All that remains is the paperwork to be approved by the FAA for the 51-foot tall windmill.

The planned installation of the Skystream will be a tower in the southwest portion of the school’s property, said Mark Hoffman, principal at Sherrod. He hopes the turbine will be up and running by the end of this semester.

When the turbine is constructed, it will be the first school in Alaska that has a wind turbine, according to a school district press release.

The construction of the turbine will be used as part of the learning process of alternative fuels and renewable energy, Hoffman said.

The funds for erecting the turbine will come from left over bond money during the construction of Sherrod Elementary.

“That’s a good way to use the bond money in educational purposes, to teach the students about renewable energy.”

The Skystream website lists the unit in the $15,000 and construction about $7,000.

However, the Matanuska Electric Association and the Palmer Rotary club will help negate the some of the expenses. The MEA is offering its assistance in raising the unit as well as the conduit installation and the Rotary club is paying for the 13 square yards of concrete necessary for the turbine’s base.

“Support has come from all areas of the community,” Hoffman said. “The superintendent, Matanuska-Susitna Borough manager, the MEA, the REAP (Renewable Energy Alaska Project), and parents of the students have all been very helpful and excited about the wind turbine’s construction.”

Sean Williams, a fifth-grade science teacher at Sherrod, hopes it will be an educational experience for he children to know about alternative fuels.

“The goal is to have an example on the school grounds so students can actually see it and have a hands learning experience,” he said. “This will hopefully have a greater impact academically for the students.”

Larry Lynn, a special-education teacher at Sherrod, said the idea for a turbine started bubbling up about the spring of last year.

“We were exploring options about renewable energy as an educational idea to plant seeds early on in children’s minds,” Lynn said. “We are coming at this as a totally educational standpoint to get young kids interested in the concept with a goal to keep kids involved in renewable energy all the way to high school and the university level.”

Building wind turbines for educational purposes on school grounds is part of national project sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, called “Wind for Schools.”

The U.S. Department of Energy reports that the Wind for Schools projects provide students and teachers with a physical example of how communities can take part in providing for the economic and environmental security of the nation while allowing exciting hands-on educational opportunities.

Skystream website reports that the unit can save 10 to 20 percent on the average household and small business electrical usage.

“Although the savings are nice, the real goal is the educational value that kids will learn in renewable resources,” Lynn said.