Upper Scioto Valley School District
Upper Scioto Valley School District is located in rural central western Ohio, an area historically heavily dependent on the auto industry and agriculture. In late 2008, school leaders searched for ways to educate their students for the future as well as spark economic development in the community. They looked at a wind map of Ohio and realized their school was in the heart of the windiest region. The school embarked on a plan to build a Green Lab/Wind Energy Academy, designed as a living renewable energy laboratory for students and community members. While the school had a good site and the wind resources to host wind
turbines, leaders felt uncomfortable paying for the capital costs of wind turbines as well as exposing themselves to maintenance and repair costs.
NexGen Energy determined it could install two 100 kW wind turbines on the school campus and that the electricity produced would be a good match to the school’s overall load. The school agreed to purchase the energy produced by the turbines at a predictable price for 15 years.
Educational Support
NexGen Energy provides the school access to a web monitoring program that delivers real-time data generated by the wind turbines. It graphically displays data including: wind speed, energy output, and wind direction.
NexGen Energy also sponsored a two-day teacher wind workshop in Boulder, CO – four USV teachers attended. The teachers received hands-on experience with wind energy curriculum.
A Clean Energy Celebration
The turbines were commissioned five months after the contract was signed and just one month after groundbreaking. Upper Scioto Valley Schools held a ribbon cutting for the wind turbines and for its Green Lab/Wind Energy facility that attracted over one hundred and fifty people. Ohio Governor Ted Strickland sent a proclamation commending the school district for its renewable energy leadership. Representatives for the Ohio Department of Development, local Chamber of Commerce and regional universities were among the attendees.
