Valley Breaks Ground On Wind Turbine
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
Valley Breaks Ground On Wind Turbine
By David [email protected]
The 321-foot-high PowerWind turbine, expected to be completed by October, is on school property in the western portion of the middle school, high school and administration office campus. The 900 kW turbine is expected to generate more than 2.3 million kWh annually, equivalent to powering 250 homes in a single year, according to information provided by Performance Services Inc.
Valley Superintendent Brett Boggs welcomed the public to the groundbreaking.
After the Tippecanoe Valley Middle School choir sang the national anthem, Boggs said Tuesday was an important date in the history of Tippecanoe Valley School Corp. Valley will be the first school corporation in Indiana to install a wind turbine with behind-the-meter technology, providing about 70 percent of all electrical power used on the campus, Boggs said.
Boggs recognized the five school board members, who had the foresight to move forward with the project. He also recognized Assistant Superintendent Dr. Daniel Kramer, Bob Miller and Jim Mitterling for serving on the Technical Review Committee, Kosciusko REMC and REMC President and CEO Steve Rhodes, Performance Services and Rochester Telephone Company. The telephone company will provide video coverage from beginning to end of the wind turbine construction.
He also thanked Tippecanoe Valley High School teacher Ben Rogers and his marketing class for organizing the groundbreaking event.
In 2008, Boggs said, Valley began researching alternative energy. Many questions were asked along the way, and it became obvious to the board that wind power would be a positive thing for Valley.
In 2009, the federal government awarded Valley a $2.3 million in Clean Renewable Energy Bonds, Boggs said. Total cost of the project is not to exceed $2.63 million.
The wind energy project will save Valley money on energy costs, without affect programs in the classroom. Performance Services also will provide curriculum to Valley on renewable energy.
Boggs ran through the timeline of the project, saying the project is expected to be completed by mid October.
The wind turbine is manufactured by German manufacturer PowerWind GmbH. PowerWind already has sold more than 120 wind turbines worldwide, according to information provided about PowerWind from Performance Services. Founded in 2007, PowerWind is financed by the international investor Warburg Pincus.
School Board President Dave O’Brien then thanked everyone for coming. He said the project will help Valley continue to be financially stable.
Kosciusko REMC President and CEO Steve Rhodes said most people would think that a utility company would not want to be part of a project that saves a customer money. However, he said, REMC is a non-profit that works to serves the best interests of its customers, and Valley has been a long-standing REMC customer.
“We’ll do everything we can to support this project,” Rhodes said.
District 18 Indiana State Sen. Randy Head said Tuesday was a momentous day for TVSC. He said he’s heard a lot of negative things about public schools, including that they never want to be innovative. The wind power project at Valley indicates otherwise. He complimented Valley on taking the risk and being good stewards of taxpayers’ dollars.
Head said the potential is fantastic, and he saluted Valley for doing something innovative.
The last speaker before the turning of the soil was Tim Thoman, president of Performance Services Inc.
Thoman said the company is excited about working with the school corporation and REMC on the project.
“It’s a great day for Indiana education,” he said.
The project is an opportunity to harvest one of Indiana’s great resources - wind, and will offer renewable energy learning experiences for Valley students, Thoman said. The project will benefit the school corporation for years to come by redirecting money that would have went to utility bills to the classroom.
For more information on Performance Services, visit its website at www.performanceservices.com
For more information about Tippecanoe Valley, visit its website at www.tvsc.k12.in.us
For more information on PowerWind, visit its website at www.powerwind.de
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The 321-foot-high PowerWind turbine, expected to be completed by October, is on school property in the western portion of the middle school, high school and administration office campus. The 900 kW turbine is expected to generate more than 2.3 million kWh annually, equivalent to powering 250 homes in a single year, according to information provided by Performance Services Inc.
Valley Superintendent Brett Boggs welcomed the public to the groundbreaking.
After the Tippecanoe Valley Middle School choir sang the national anthem, Boggs said Tuesday was an important date in the history of Tippecanoe Valley School Corp. Valley will be the first school corporation in Indiana to install a wind turbine with behind-the-meter technology, providing about 70 percent of all electrical power used on the campus, Boggs said.
Boggs recognized the five school board members, who had the foresight to move forward with the project. He also recognized Assistant Superintendent Dr. Daniel Kramer, Bob Miller and Jim Mitterling for serving on the Technical Review Committee, Kosciusko REMC and REMC President and CEO Steve Rhodes, Performance Services and Rochester Telephone Company. The telephone company will provide video coverage from beginning to end of the wind turbine construction.
He also thanked Tippecanoe Valley High School teacher Ben Rogers and his marketing class for organizing the groundbreaking event.
In 2008, Boggs said, Valley began researching alternative energy. Many questions were asked along the way, and it became obvious to the board that wind power would be a positive thing for Valley.
In 2009, the federal government awarded Valley a $2.3 million in Clean Renewable Energy Bonds, Boggs said. Total cost of the project is not to exceed $2.63 million.
The wind energy project will save Valley money on energy costs, without affect programs in the classroom. Performance Services also will provide curriculum to Valley on renewable energy.
Boggs ran through the timeline of the project, saying the project is expected to be completed by mid October.
The wind turbine is manufactured by German manufacturer PowerWind GmbH. PowerWind already has sold more than 120 wind turbines worldwide, according to information provided about PowerWind from Performance Services. Founded in 2007, PowerWind is financed by the international investor Warburg Pincus.
School Board President Dave O’Brien then thanked everyone for coming. He said the project will help Valley continue to be financially stable.
Kosciusko REMC President and CEO Steve Rhodes said most people would think that a utility company would not want to be part of a project that saves a customer money. However, he said, REMC is a non-profit that works to serves the best interests of its customers, and Valley has been a long-standing REMC customer.
“We’ll do everything we can to support this project,” Rhodes said.
District 18 Indiana State Sen. Randy Head said Tuesday was a momentous day for TVSC. He said he’s heard a lot of negative things about public schools, including that they never want to be innovative. The wind power project at Valley indicates otherwise. He complimented Valley on taking the risk and being good stewards of taxpayers’ dollars.
Head said the potential is fantastic, and he saluted Valley for doing something innovative.
The last speaker before the turning of the soil was Tim Thoman, president of Performance Services Inc.
Thoman said the company is excited about working with the school corporation and REMC on the project.
“It’s a great day for Indiana education,” he said.
The project is an opportunity to harvest one of Indiana’s great resources - wind, and will offer renewable energy learning experiences for Valley students, Thoman said. The project will benefit the school corporation for years to come by redirecting money that would have went to utility bills to the classroom.
For more information on Performance Services, visit its website at www.performanceservices.com
For more information about Tippecanoe Valley, visit its website at www.tvsc.k12.in.us
For more information on PowerWind, visit its website at www.powerwind.de
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