USA - Turbines to be used to bring energy to schools

Drummond Public Schools is taking a step into the future. In as little as nine months, Drummond’s school will be partially powered by wind. “The idea had kind of been floating around for awhile,” said Superintendent Mike Woods. “I didn’t know if it was in the budget.”

With a little teamwork from Drum-mond Mayor David Burford, the town of Drummond and the school, the purchase of a wind turbine became much more feasible through a grant from the Department of Commerce. The grant was available for towns, not schools, but the town of Drummond was more than willing to help the school with its ambitious endeavor, Woods said. “They were gracious as always,” Woods said.

The grant was applied for on its due date and later Drummond was notified it had been awarded $250,000 for the project. While the $250,000 won’t cover the entire cost of the project it was enough to make the dream a reality. “We could basically pay for (the remainder) with current funds,” Woods said.

Now the project is officially in the planning phase, but once the turbine is up and running the cost savings could be as much as 60-70 percent of the school’s electric bill. School officials already know what they are going to do with the savings. “We’ll use the savings in electrical costs to (hire) a much-needed office staff,” Woods said.

Drummond currently has two non-instructional staff members, a financial secretary and a child nutrition specialist/encumbrance clerk, who also fulfill the day-to-day office duties of taking phone calls, delivering messages and managing any student needs. “It’s just a lot of hats worn by a few people,” Woods said. The next step in the wind turbine project is finding a place for the equipment. “It’s amazing how precise they get in placing these turbines,” Woods said. “It’s something you really have to consider.”

Other than energy savings, Woods said the school will be able to use the wind turbine for educational purposes. Some wind turbine models actually come with a curriculum for math and science said, Woods. The school also hopes to have a camera installed on top of the turbine for weather studies in sciences classes. “You can tie it into a lot of different subjects,” Woods said. The project also will benefit the state of Oklahoma and its other school districts, Woods said.

Woods said the interest in the project has been significant because it can be used to collect data that will help other schools and businesses determine whether installing a wind turbine would benefit their individual needs. “Rep. John Enns is very involved in the long-term success of this project,” Woods said. Other states also have shown interest in the results of the project, Woods said. “It’s a neat project,” Woods said.

Drummond’s wind turbine could be up and running in as little as nine months. In the meantime, Drummond continues to progress in other ways, Woods said. Enrollment numbers continue to rise, nearly every classroom has a SMART Board, band is a full-time class, a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant was received to build a video production studio, and the school has added a “school readiness” program for 3-year-olds. The school readiness program was a response to a need in Drummond, Woods said. “It is absolutely not a day care,” Woods said. Students must meet certain requirements to be accepted into the program, and the school receives no funding for the program.