Seven School Districts Now Considering Wind Turbine

Nov 26 - Bismarck Tribune

JAMESTOWN (AP) -- Seven school districts in south central North Dakota are considering wind energy to save money on utility costs.

The school districts of Ashley, Ellendale, Kulm, Napoleon, Strasburg, Wishek and Zeeland contracted with EAPC Architects and Engineers in Grand Forks to study the feasibility of a wind turbine to provide a majority of the electricity they use.

They will need help from the Legislature to get the project off the ground. Rep. Mike Brandenburg, R-Edgeley, said he is willing to lobby for it.

The estimated savings to the school districts is $114,470 per year, with a payback period of approximately eight years.

The project would be paid by selling bonds, which could be paid with the savings, Ellendale Superintendent Jeff Fastnacht said. If the Legislature approves, he said, his school could consider converting its two oil-burning boilers to electric boilers.

The Ellendale School District pays about $2,500 a month for utilities, and it would have to pay for its portion of the turbine. With an eight- to 10-year payback period, more money will be available later for other projects, Fastnacht said.

One of the legislative issues involves selling excess electricity back to the utility companies, Brandenburg said. Power companies normally buy excess electricity in similar cases at an "avoided rate" of 1.5 cents per kilowatt hour, he said. Legislators could consider a purchase price of at least the wholesale rate of about 4.5 cents per kilowatt hour, he said.

In Kulm, the school district spends about $18,000 a year on electricity and its cost went up 5 percent last year, Superintendent Dan Bauer said.

A wind tower could provide a learning opportunity for students, especially if a Web cam can be set up at the site, he said.

"Schools need to cooperate, and this (wind turbine) is an ideal issue," Bauer said.