Posted on 03/15/2008 1:58:19 PM PDT by LibFreeOrDie
What began a few months ago as a 12-year-old's bright idea may very well become one of Windham High School's [NH] most prominent features.
David Hutchings, a home-schooled town resident, has proposed incorporating wind and solar energy into the $44 million school, slated to open in fall 2009.
"I started this as a science project with friends ... and now it's turned into a huge project," he said with a shrug and a grin, sitting around a table yesterday at Lavallee Brensinger Architects in Manchester's Millyard.
David was with a dozen adults -- one of them his mother -- at what the architectural firm billed as an "Alternative Energy Summit," and he listened in as his science project came to life.
"It's pretty cool," he said as the group broke for lunch. "It's pretty great."
It's also pretty fast.
Frank Bass, superintendent of schools in Windham and Pelham, said the high school building already had an environmentally friendly design, and residents had stressed a desire for cutting-edge curriculum.
But renewable energy wasn't on his radar until one day in December when David walked through his office door.
"He approached me out of nowhere," said Bass, "and I was so taken with it, I invited him to meet with the school board."
That was in January.
"That's when everybody went haywire and said, 'Holy cow, this is something special,' " said Bass.
So that's how a group of adults -- architects, elected town officials, utility executives and energy experts -- found themselves at the energy summit, excitedly huddling over a teenager's plan. (David is quick to point out he turned 13 two months ago.)
The plan calls for one wind turbine prominently situated in front of the school, partnered with a solar electric roof panel.
The two sources would combine to produce about 5 percent of the school's energy costs.
Situated off Route 111, the school is being built on a hill that gets sufficient wind to power a turbine. David said he combined solar and wind because the systems complement each other; one tends to work better when the other flags.
Mark Weissflog, an engineer and president of KW Management in Nashua, said the initial outlay would be $300,000 to $350,000 and that the district could expect to recoup that money in about 10 years through energy savings.
The plan is still in the feasibility stage, but if adopted, Bass said, he would look to grant money and contingency funds. "We don't want to go to the town for this," he said.
Alan Carpenter, chairman of Windham's board of selectmen, said more wind turbines could eventually be built and the school might one day generate much of its own power.
But even if that doesn't happen, Carpenter said, David's idea is a winner because it should put Windham students on the cutting edge of a variety of environmental science programs built around alternative energy.
"It's an identity with the school that becomes a unique feature that draws attention," agreed Bass.
Chris Drobat, a Lavallee Brensinger architect, said students should be able see the tangible benefits of such a project. He suggested putting an electronic ticker displaying real-time energy production in a hallway.
"Then the kids can say, 'Man, the thing's really cranking today,' " he said.
"It's important to make it visible," agreed Carl Vogel, a senior engineer at Public Service Company of New Hampshire.
As yesterday's meeting broke up, David's mother, Michele Hutchings, said she's not surprised the school district quickly latched onto renewable energy.
"Sometimes, you have an idea whose time has come," she said after watching David contribute to the roundtable, often technical, discussion.
"He's comfortable talking to anyone," she said. "I'm so proud."
into the $44 million school
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Well, that’s less than the $50 million school going up in my county!
Guess what? None of the 50 million dollars is counted in the annual cost to indoctrinate a government institutionalized child in our county. All of the $50 million is considered a county bond issue, and accounted for in the general county budget.
Moral: NEVER trust what the government says it costs to indoctrinate one of its kid prisoners in their indoctrination camps! Take the number they cite and then double that amount. That is likely the true cost!
Okay—they’re going to recoup the $300,000 in 10 years and the windmill and panels are 5% of the energy used....so that’s $30,000 per year, $2500 per month.....GOOD GRIEF!!!! They’re spending $50,000 per MONTH on electricity?????? I’m thinking insulation and better windows......
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I didn't think to do the math, but you are right! Wow! $50,000 per month in electricity? Whoa!
The truth is likely that this solar-wind power energy project will NEVER pay for itself over the entire lifetime of the school!
Pretty sure that the alternate energy is just feel-goodism. I hate to see a home-schooler buying into it. I guess the “critical thinking” skills portion of his education comes later.....
An even brighter idea would be to crack a simple text on engineering economics and compare the prices of alternatives using discounted cash flow analysis. It’s very easy to do. You’ll find this wind and solar proposal is a total loser compared to buying power from PS NH. And yet the PS NH engineer supports it and says “its important that it be visible” — a constant reminder of dopey decisions.
If they’ve done any analysis at all, I wonder if they included maintenance costs. Or were those conveniently forgotten?
included maintenance costs.
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Well? How well do you think government schools maintain anything?
So in 3 or 4 years, the whole system will be kaput! You’re probably right.
Actually, our K-8 district does a good job of maintenance. My wife is in charge!
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