Dear Blog Readers:
The West Central School Corporation wind project apparently joins the North Newton School Corporation in deciding to use net metering rather than NIPSCO's feed-in tariff (FIT).
To view the earlier blog post on the West Central School Corporation wind project. please visit http://wp.me/pMRZi-wG.
Also see the blog post on the North Newton School Corporation wind project at http://wp.me/pMRZi-BU
So what does this mean for any future wind turbine projects using the NIPSCO feed-in tariff? Let me know what you think.
Laura Ann Arnold
updated: 4/3/2012 12:28:06 PM
http://www.insideindianabusiness.com/newsitem.asp?id=53014
InsideINdianaBusiness.com Report
A 300 foot wind turbine project by the West Central School Corp. is delivering electricity. The school system says the turbine, built by Indianapolis-based Performance Services, is designed to eventually pay for itself, and any additional electricity will go to Northern Indiana Public Service Co.
April 3, 2012
News Release
Francesville, Indiana. West Central School Corporation (WCSC) wind turbine project is now complete and began producing electricity on Friday, March 30, 2012.
WCSC is one of the first public school corporations in Indiana to utilize net metering with Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO). The project includes one 321-foot high, 900 kW, three-blade PowerWind turbine on school property, with Performance Services serving as the design builder. The project is designed to pay for itself and at the same time significantly reduce the cost of energy at the schools, offsetting nearly 100% of the electrical bill at the campus. In doing so, the school corporation hopes to be able to maintain the existing tax rate. Over the 25-year life of the project, net revenue is expected to exceed $4 million after all project related costs.
An essential component of the wind project is a renewable energy curriculum. Lessons plans, a K-12 curriculum map, and unique learning opportunities will be made available for K-12 students. This project will become a real-world lab in which WCSC students will have the opportunity to learn and explore renewable energy first hand.
Tim Thoman, President of Performance Services noted, "We are excited to bring another PowerWind turbine online for an Indiana public school. West Central has shown great leadership in their vision to reduce operational costs for their corporation over the next 25 years. Superintendent Chuck Mellon has been patient awaiting final interconnection approval from NIPSCO. Performance Services is grateful to have had the opportunity to work with West Central School Corporation on this important community wind project. "
For more information about West Central School Corporation, visit
http://www.wcsc.k12.in.us/
Performance Services is an Indianapolis-based design-build engineering company that specializes in constructing and renovating schools, universities and healthcare facilities to deliver optimal environments through both the Guaranteed Energy Savings Contract and Design-Build procurement methods. Innovative wind power and geothermal systems are integral to the energy services portfolio. The company has provided energy services to customers since 1998 and is the leading qualified provider of guaranteed energy savings projects and ENERGY STAR labeled schools in Indiana. To learn more, visit
http://www.performanceservices.com.
PowerWind GmbH is a German OEM of onshore wind turbines (500 kW, 850 kW, 900 kW and 2500 kW) and service provider, focusing on Community-scale wind projects. These wind farms of between 1 MW and 30 MW are mostly locally owned; the energy is often consumed in the immediate vicinity of the turbines. Typical customers include local businesses, factories and farmers, regional project developers and power providers, schools and universities as well as municipalities and leisure facilities. Backed by U.S. growth investor Warburg Pincus, the company has a successful four-year operative track record in eight countries.
Source: West Central School Corp.