On May 3, the Grand Ridge Elementary community watched eagerly as a small-scale wind turbine was erected on their campus as part of Puget Sound Energy’s Renewable Energy Education Program and accompanying grant. The turbine is 45 feet tall and has a generating capacity of 1.8 kilowatts.
Ashley Hirst is Grand Ridge’s “teacher champion” of the project, acting as a leader in both the grant process and integration of the turbine into educational lessons for students. In addition to powering part of the school, the turbine will teach students about wind energy and renewable resources in general (Grand Ridge has also recently installed solar panels thanks to a similar grant). The Renewable Energy Education Program comes with educational materials and support, including science lesson training, classroom activity guides, and renewable-energy kits.
Photo of the wind turbine with kids is courtesy of Puget Sound Energy