STANFORD -- The long-term cost savings from a wind turbine doesn't always offset the initial cost for some school districts, who increasingly are considering the turbines for rural districts.

But the first district to use a turbine, Bureau Valley in Malinus, already has saved $100,000 in costs.

In Stanford, the state's largest rural district, Olympia administrators are midstream in a feasibility study conducted by a company that installed two of the four turbines already in use at Illinois districts. Olympia got some state money and spent some of its own for the study and for a 300-foot tower that will measure wind force, direction and consistency.

"The board of education has not made a decision," said Superintendent Brad Hutchison. But "the district has a history of being interested in energy conservation."

In 2000, Olympia was among the first Illinois districts to install a geo-thermal heating and cooling system. That same year, it began using bio-diesel fuel for its vehicles.

The middle school and high school, both in Stanford on an 80-acre campus, combine for an annual electric bill of $225,000. "The energy generated from the turbine will dramatically reduce our electric bill, " according to Andrew Wise, the district's business and operations manager. Olympia's three grade schools are scattered throughout the 377 square mile district.

Teachers could use the turbine for science and agriculture classes. Students also could explore wind energy and related career options, Hutchison said.

Olympia would supply wind and electrical production data to Western Illinois University, Macomb. In return, the university could assist in educational programs at Olympia schools, said Fred Iutzi, manager of sustainable development for the WIU-based Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs.

Depending on its size, a turbine could cost about $2 million, Hutchison said, and about $500,000 could be paid through energy grants. The district could get a return on its investment in about a dozen years, he said.

The pay-back, based on power generated and power used and higher projected cost of the turbine, would be longer -- about 30 years -- at Downs-based Tri-Valley, so the board decided against it a couple of years ago. "The decision was not to pursue it at this time," said Superintendent Curt Simonson.

The payback period is only a decade at Bureau Valley, which made its own study about five years ago. With the help of grants, the district moved forward and became the first in Illinois to get a wind turbine.

Superintendent Terry Gutshall said the district already has had $100,000 in gross energy savings since the turbine was installed in 2005.

The district, north of Peoria, has about 1,100 students in grades K-12. It hasn't incorporated the wind turbine into classroom learning as much as originally expected. "We are still exploring curriculum possibilities," Gutshall said.

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FYI

Several schools are considering on-site wind turbines for energy conservation, long-term cost savings, and as an educational tool.

For example:

District	Location	Turbine cost (est.)	Payback (est.)	Status
Olympia	Stanford	$2 million	12-15 years	Feasibility study under way
Tri-Valley	Downs	$5 million	30 years	No action at this time
Bureau Valley	Manilus	$1 million	10-12 years	First turbine started in 2005