Rim of the World High School has begun an energy conservation project involving the use of vertical axis wind turbines. The project was proposed in 2011 and approval has now been granted from the California Division of the State Architect.

Construction is set to begin on the project in mid-2012.

The entire energy project will involve eight solar panels and four turbines. The fenced installation area will be near the main parking area next to the Performing Arts Center. Wires will run into the nearby physics classroom for monitoring and learning purposes. The total cost for this project will be about $400,000. The turbines are to be installed on 23 foot high poles and were manufactured by Urban Green Energy in New York. The energy produced by the turbines is expected to be about the equivalent of the amount needed to power an average sized home.

“It’s my understanding that we are the first school in the state, and maybe among just a handful of school districts in the nation, to be using wind turbines at a school site,” said Rim of the World Unified School District’s board president Scott Markovich. “This is so new a technology for schools that the DSA looked at our application and architect plans very carefully, because they hadn’t done it before. This will put our high school on the map for forward thinking.”

The school is not currently focusing on using the project as a money-saving tactic, instead focusing on introducing renewable energy to math and science students as part of their curriculum with the project providing a hands-on, real world learning project. There will also be opportunities to involve younger students currently attending the local intermediate and elementary schools by use of field trips to observe the project in action.

Click here to learn more about Urban Green Energy vertical axis wind turbines.