2011 Wind for Schools Proposals

This year the Kansas Wind for Schools Program will again be selecting five sites for installation of small wind turbines at rural schools throughout Kansas. Following are the five key areas that will be considered in the selection process:

  1. What is the level of support within your community and school for this project? We look for schools that have good support from the school administration and school board as well as from community members and businesses. Our best projects have a “champion” who works to gain support from all parts of his/her community.
  2. Are there any groups, class projects, or curricula focused on care of the environment and/or sustainability at your school? What topics are they focused on? Some examples are: composting, biodiversity, and sustainable agriculture.
  3. Does the school have teacher(s) (usually science or math) who would be willing to incorporate the wind turbine into the curriculum? A data stream from the turbine to the internet will be included as part of the installation. There are wind energy curricula available for teachers’ use.
  4. What is your wind class? Class 3 wind is an average of at least 14.3 mph at 50 meters. Class 2 wind is an average of at least 12.5 mph at 50 meters. The following link shows a Kansas map with average wind speeds at 50 meters: We typically look for Class 3 wind or greater, however we have selected a few schools in class 2 areas.
  5. Do you have a good site for the turbine? The best site would be at least 200 ft from buildings and other obstacles, but not more than 1000 ft from a building that uses electricity all year long. At a minimum, there should be a site with a 100-foot radius that has no obstacles such as trees, or buildings taller than 20 feet. This is to ensure the best flow of wind. If possible, please attach a couple of pictures in .jpg format from areas that you think look promising.

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What kind of wind turbine will the school be using if selected to be a part of the Wind For Schools program?

In past years, the only turbine installed for schools was the Skystream 3.7. The Skystream is a 2.4-kilowatt turbine with a blade diameter of a little over 12 feet. It will generate around $300 or $400 worth of electricity in a year, and it’s designed for residential use. The Skystream will be available for schools again this year.

To learn more about the Skystream turbine, visit the Southwest Windpower website at:

In addition to the Skystream, dealers for three other turbines have offered Wind-for-Schools pricing discounts: The Airdolphin GTO, the Raum 3.5, and the Evance R9000.

The Airdolphin GTO is a 1.1 kW turbine with 3 ft blades. It will generate around $150 worth of electricity in a year. For more information, visit the Zephyr website at:

The Raum 3.5 is a 3.5 kW turbine with 5 blades that are each about 6 ½ ft long. It will generate around $500 or $600 worth of electricity in a year. For more information, visit the Raum website at:

Finally, the Evance R9000 is a 5 kilowatt turbine with 9 ft blades. It will generate around $1000 worth on electricity in a year. Information on the Evance R9000 can be found at:

  1. Will we be able to sell excess power back to the utility?

No. Neither the Skystream nor the Evance will generate enough power to be able to sell any back.

  1. How much does a turbine cost?

That depends greatly on which turbine you choose. The cost to install each of the turbines listed above is approximately:

Airdolphin GTO: $13,000

Skystream 3.7: $22,000

Raum 3.5: $25,000

Evance R9000: $40,000

Those numbers can vary considerably from site to site, though. Factors like soil type and distance from a building can have a big impact on the cost.

  1. How can we pay for the turbine and the associated installation costs?

This year most of the costs will be covered by a grant from Westar Energy. Each of the turbine manufacturers we work with offers a significant discount, which is reflected in the costs shown above. In past years we have asked the school to pay $1500 of their own funds and generate support from the local community (cash and in-kind) and local utility (in-kind assistance with grading, pouring the foundation, erection and interconnection). The reason we chose $1500 is that’s about how much the Skystream will save the school in five years if it’s kept in working order. However, we realize that budgets are extremely tight this year. Therefore, this year we’re willing to waive the $1500 from the school up front. Instead we ask that the school commits to spending at least $1500 within five years on something that will directly benefit all or most of their students, and that wasn’t already budgeted for. For example: purchasing new desks or textbooks. The school should still try to obtain support from local businesses and the local utility; we will use evidence of in-kind support as a criterion to rank proposals. For detail on ordinary costs, see the Cost Estimates webpage:

Since the Evance turbine is significantly more expensive than the other turbines, the grant from Westar Energy would probably not be able to cover all of its expenses. The school would need to contribute significantly more both in funding and in finding community support in order to install an Evance R9000, but its higher energy generation may make it a good choice for a school with more resources.

  1. When are proposals due?

Proposals should be submitted by November 15, 2011[1]. Late submissions will be considered on a case-by-case basis, and we anticipate rolling acceptances through the next two years. We would prefer electronic submissions but will accept paper submissions.

Please submit proposals and/or questions to:

Dr. Ruth Douglas Miller

261 Rathbone Hall

Kansas State University

Manhattan, KS 66502

(785) 532-4596

Proposal Format

Please answer the following questions completely:

  1. Name, location of School, USD#, contact information, website.
  1. Person submitting the proposal with contact information.
  1. Description of the school property:
  1. Is there an available site at least 200 ft from buildings and trees but within 1000 ft of a building that uses electricity year-round?
  1. If not, is there a high and open area with plenty of wind with at least a 100 ft radius circle with no obstructions taller than 20 ft?
  1. Does the site have room for a 45- to 90-ft tower (footprint up to 8-ft square)? Which turbine would you like to go for, and why? (We will work up complete energy and cost estimates for the schools that are selected.)
  1. Have you considered what the neighbors and school children will think about the wind turbine?
  1. Are there any local ordinances that would prohibit installing a wind turbine? If so, is there any chance of obtaining a variance?
  1. Is everyone supportive who needs to be? Please have them contact us with questions as they arise in preparation of the proposal.
  2. Do you have the support of the principal, superintendent, maintenance staff and school board? Please attach support letter(s).
  1. Do you have local community support from electricians, equipment suppliers, banks or other business leaders who will lend in-kind or financial aid? Do they understand the nature of what is being asked of them? Please attach support letters.
  1. Do you have the support of your local utility? Would they like to help install the turbine? Please attach support letters.

**Exception: Westar customers need NOT contact Westar. We already have an agreement with this utility.**

  1. Please tell us how you plan to incorporate the turbine into your teaching and curriculums.
  2. Who are the teacher(s) who will be using the turbine? Please attach support letters.
  1. Will they be using the NEED curriculum or other materials?

Several curricula may be found by clicking the following link and scrolling to the bottom of the page (“Curriculum Help”).

  1. Will you be collaborating with other schools or sharing the data stream from your turbine? Please explain.

••••••••••

Thank you for your interest in the Wind for Schools Project. This is an exciting possibility for your school and community, and we hope we can help you bring it about!

[1]Is that the date we want?

Should his contact info still be on this?

Do we even need to think about guyed towers anymore? Haven’t we done all monopoles?

Same as above