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School Wind

Wind for Schools is a pilot program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Wind Powering America program to develop wind projects in Eastern Colorado schools. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL’s) role is to provide technical assistance to the appropriate staff from interested schools.
 
 
Seventeen towns were chosen for their potential wind resource and contacted to judge their interest in pursuing a project. Schools were contacted first by letter, followed by individual meetings when interest was expressed. NREL is helping these communities evaluate their situation, analyze costs and benefits, and assist in determining whether wind power makes sense for each district. Each town’s specific situation is evaluated: available sites, transmission capabilities and accessibility, and the demand and tariff structures for each service area. HOMER and XCEL Energy spreadsheets are used to conduct initial economic and financial analyses.
 
 
NREL is exploring the sale of green tags as the main revenue stream to pay off a turbine. If green tags are the revenue source, as opposed to grants and loans, these projects can be replicated on a wide scale.
 
Updates on the Wind for Schools pilot program can be found on the Wind Powering America Web site at http://www.windpoweringamerica.gov/.