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Wind Powering America (WPA) developed a replicable model for schools to use to install a wind turbine (PDF 1.4 MB) Download Adobe Reader that will help defray their energy costs and/or provide education. To begin this process, Wind Powering America and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) embarked on a pilot project in its home state of Colorado. This is how the "Wind for Schools" model developed.
Key Elements of a Successful Wind for Schools Project
Key elements of a successful project.
Champion
A local project champion is needed. A project cannot succeed without a local individual or group who can keep the key players in the community that need to be involved in the project informed, cooperating, and moving toward project goals. This is important because the stages of learning, carrying out agreements for finances, power purchase agreements, permitting, obtaining equipment, construction, and operations and maintenance can be lengthy and time consuming. Issues of local politics, personalities, and public opinion are always involved.
Wind Resource
One of the reasons that WPA/NREL chose Colorado for the pilot project is the excellent wind resource on the eastern plains. In addition, these rural Colorado areas could also benefit from economic development. Therefore, NREL contacted 17 school districts (indicated on the map with stars) that are in or near areas of good wind resources. This enabled NREL to analyze the wind resource at or near the school. NREL also looked at the school utility bills and discussed the economic viability of projects.
Community Support: Different Project Models
NREL staff discussed three basic project models with the communities, and many permutations of the models, depending on local situations and preferences. Each required different wind resource, financial arrangements, and partnerships.
- Behind the meter — a wind turbine sized to less than the school load, to be used to decrease energy bills.
- A community-scale turbine
- Piggybacking — i.e., the school or community develops a financial agreement with a large-scale wind farm nearby.
Partners
WPA/NREL offered school districts and their communities the assistance of a team of professionals who understand wind technology and projects.
NREL
NREL assembled the partners to work with the schools and their communities. For interested schools, NREL staff analyzed their wind resource and utility bills to advise them on the practical issues of system performance and potential cost savings. Working with the partners, NREL has put together a "base system" to offer the schools. NREL provides technical assistance on project planning, selecting a site, installing a system, and connecting it to the grid. NREL has also provided training for Colorado science teachers who are ready to include wind in their curricula.
Tom Potter, Consultant
Colorado's Field Advocate for Sustainability. Tom has worked with communities in eastern Colorado, particularly with farm organizations and economic development specialists, to help communities understand renewable energy project options and their impacts.
Southwest Windpower
An international manufacturer of small wind systems. Southwest offers a discounted wind turbine, guyed tower, grid interconnect hardware, and display unit for the "base system."
Community Energy
A national company that develops wind farms and sells renewable energy certificates, commonly known as "Green Tags." For this project, Community Energy is providing much of the cost of the "base system." They market Colorado Rural Green Tags from the Lamar Light & Power wind farm throughout the state and hope to use proceeds from the sale of green tags to support more wind turbines at schools.
Western Resource Advocates (WRA)
A regional conservation law and policy organization that encourages the use of renewable energy and energy efficiency in the Interior West. WRA has worked with utilities throughout the region to develop and implement green power programs, including Xcel Energy's Windsource program. Susan Innis, Green Power Marketing Director, sells Colorado Rural Green Tags to businesses and households on the Front Range and in rural Colorado.
The School and Community
It is very important that the community is a full partner in designing the project and in paying for much of it. All key players such as the school, the local utility, local funding partners, and others need to be included during the life of the project.
Economics
The NREL team discussed financing options with each school district. The school district often has access to low-cost loans for facilities enhancement or improvement. Local and state grant monies may be available. It is not unusual to find private or community donors willing to participate.
A net metering arrangement is necessary for a small wind turbine. This arrangement delineates how a school will be credited on its utility bill for the electricity it generates. For larger turbines, the sale of excess electricity to the local utility through a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) is critical. The limits, arrangements, and amount the utility will pay for the electricity in both of these cases vary from utility to utility and must be discussed on a case-by-case basis.
Green Tags, or Renewable Energy Certificates, represent the environmental benefits of generating electricity using wind (or other renewable energy) systems. There is a growing market for Green Tags, and they add a revenue stream to the project.
Policy
A variety of policies at the state or local level can impact a school wind policy. These should be reviewed, as they will impact the feasibility and nature of the project.
- Renewable Portfolio Standards
- Buy-down programs or tax benefits
- Net metering policies
- Permitting and zoning
- Environmental policies
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WPA/NREL Presented Results to Local Wind Development Committees
For the school districts that chose to participate, WPA/NREL staff presented the results of their analysis to local wind development committees. These are groups of community members that are interested in a school wind application that benefits their community. It is important that all interested parties understand what must occur for a school wind project to succeed and the role that each of them has in the success of the endeavor.
- School board members
- City government
- Local utility
- Economic development interests
- Other interested parties (energy service companies (ESCOs), farmers, agriculture extension agents)
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Characteristics of Rural School Wind Energy Projects
During this process, WPA/NREL staff found that rural school wind energy projects have certain characteristics:
- The school is often the largest load in the community
- The community supports the school
- Low-cost grants and loans may be available
- The project generates local interest in wind energy
- Curricula/science projects are a natural parallel focus
- Several application/ownership options exist
- The project focuses the community on its energy future
- Local ownership means local economic development benefits for community projects
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Lessons Learned
- School stakeholders like the "Wind for Schools" concept
- There is a long learning curve/education process
- The project represents a substantial change/effort over multiple years; it can't be successful without a champion
- Wind energy development is complex; and there is an appearance of financial risk
- Rural schools are often connected to a renewable energy co-op
- Low avoided cost
- Net metering not welcomed
- A demand charge tariff can be a disincentive
- Favorable policies make a big difference
- Public and private grant funding is available
- Organizing a school wind project represents a melting pot of community activity and opinions
- Science teachers are interested in wind curricula
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Technical Characteristics of a Sample Small School System
The NREL team will provide the "base system," and the community must provide the trenching, foundation, costs to interconnect with the local utility, and operations and maintenance (O&M) costs. O&M costs for a small wind turbine are low, but annual maintenance should be part of the plan and budget. The community will install the turbine, with assistance from NREL.
Often the community desires a configuration beyond the "base systems" outlined below. Examples of modifications might be: a larger turbine, a free-standing tower (as opposed to the guyed tower), fencing around the system, or a special display unit. NREL will help the community evaluate options, but the costs of such upgrades are the community's responsibility.
The "Base System"
- Southwest Windpower "Whisper 100" (produces 900 W of power at a wind speed of 28 mph, and about 100 kWh per month in a Class 4 wind area).
- 62-foot guyed tower
- Grid-tie connection (hardware)
- Display unit
- Batteries
- Inverter
Other Necessary Components (to Be Provided by the Community)
- Foundation
- Trenching
- Cabling
- Raising the turbine on its tower
- Interconnection agreement with the utility
- O&M fund
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Frequently Asked Questions for Pilot Project Participants
Q. Can I change the "base package?"
A. You are free to design a project to meet your needs, and the partners will help you determine the project cost and the energy that will be produced using a particular turbine at a given location. However, the partners cannot provide extra funding to cover the cost of customizations.
Q. Why is the turbine in the "base package" so small?
A. This package is what we were able to negotiate. There are large economies of scale on a wind project, but the up-front capital costs are large and the complexity of finding funds and negotiating an acceptable arrangement with the utility also grow as the project grows. A small turbine will not generate large cost reductions on your energy bills, but it is useful for educational purposes.
Q. How much money can the school save on its electricity bills?
A. That depends on how much electricity the school wind turbine generates and how much the utility will pay for excess electricity generated. This is an agreement between the school and the utility. Under current Colorado practices, the savings will be much more if the school is billed one rate for usage. However, the practice of charging a low usage rate and a higher demand charge is not advantageous for small wind generators because the turbine will seldom drop the peak demand noticeably.
Q. Is financial help available?
A. Yes. Local foundations will usually help provide some grant funding for a school project. There are state grant funds. The school is eligible for some U.S. Department of Agriculture funds. Xcel Energy has a Renewable Energy Trust that provides funding for renewable energy projects. Most schools have access to low-interest loans.
If it is available, the local funding is usually the most straightforward process to pursue. The project definition and application process for the other funding sources can be time consuming.
In addition, it may be advantageous for a foundation or some other legal entity to own the turbine at first to gain access to some types of funding.
Q. Are there legal issues?
A. Yes. There may be issues of permitting and zoning. The agreement with the utility is a legal contract. And there is a debate as to whether a wind turbine can be owned by a school to sell electricity. There is no debate as to whether the turbine can be purchased for educational purposes.
Q. What if there is no good site on school grounds for a wind turbine (poor wind resource or too close to people)?
A. If you still want to pursue a school wind project, look for windy land nearby and negotiate with the landowners to put the machine on their land. Consider some form of joint ownership. And you must negotiate with the utility to "wheel" the electricity to the school or to buy it and credit the benefit to the school's energy bill.
Q. Why do other states such as Iowa and Minnesota have school wind turbines and Colorado doesn't?
A. Those states developed favorable policies to encourage wind for schools, such as requiring the utilities to buy the power produced according to certain rules. They also made grants and low-cost loans available to the schools for wind projects. Finally, these schools often have a one-part tariff (instead of separate demand and usage charges), which increases the savings possible from a wind turbine.
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