Representatives of Southeast Colorado Power Association, an electric co-op headquartered in La Junta, were on hand when the Walsh School held its dedication ceremony February 5 to commemorate its Skystream wind turbine. The district is the first school in the state to install a turbine under the Colorado Governor’s Energy Office’s Wind for Schools program.
Walsh Superintendent Kyle Hebberd expressed gratitude to the many local partners that it took to bring the project to fruition: Jack Wolfe at Southeast Colorado Power, the Walsh School Board and staff, the town of Walsh, McDonald Electric, Joe and Mike at Sand Arroyo Energy and the Southeast Colorado RC&D Council.
“It demonstrates both the can do spirit of the community and school district,” Superintendent Hebberd said.
Major funding for the project was through grants from the Governor’s Energy Office Wind for Schools program, the National Renewable Energy Lab and the Cooper-Clark Foundation, according to Hebberd. Becki Meadows of NREL Wind Technology Deployment presented Superintendent Hebberd with a check for NREL’s contribution during the ceremony.
Bob Mailander, GEO regional representative, congratulated Walsh on the achievement and addressed the students present. “I hope this project inspires you to learn more about renewable energy and helps you realize how a few people working together can accomplish much.”
Mike Kostrzewa, from the Wind Application Center at Colorado State University, presented the Walsh students with a Skystream turbine blade to display in the school.
“This project began with a meeting in Springfield in January of 2009,” Superintendent Hebberd said. “Although it took longer than we initially anticipated, here we are a year later generating electricity with this Skystream. Since it went on-line in December of 2009 it has generated 490 kilowatt-hours of energy. We are officially offsetting our energy needs with green power, thanks to the many partners involved.”