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Pennsylvania Wind for Schools
Is your school interested in providing a hands-on, minds-on relevant wind energy opportunity for your students? Does your school desire to excite students about science and possible careers related to this industry? If so, you may be interested in applying for the Wind for Schools program. This is NOT a grant program. See details in the Program Overview section below. Email windforschools@psu.edu if you have any questions.
For more information on the program please click to see an article from Windpower Engineering.
Program Information
 Program Overview (please read 1st) |
 Application |
 Skystream Technical Information |
 Educational Resources |
 Affiliate Program Info (if you have a turbine already) |
 National WfS Program |
 Turbine Funding Ideas |
 Costs of a Typical Installation |
 FAQs |
 Map of Projects |
 Sponsors |
 Host Schools |
About the Wind for Schools Program
The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory and DOE's Wind and Hydropower Technologies Program recently selected Penn State for funding and technical support to develop educational programs to improve understanding of wind energy technology and its implementation using the successful Wind for Schools model. The Wind for Schools project, part of DOE’s Wind Powering America outreach and education initiative, supports wind energy education programs at universities as well as primary and secondary schools. By targeting students, the activities selected to be funded address major challenges for the wind energy industry as identified in DOE’s 20% Wind Energy by 2030 report: the need for a skilled workforce to support the expanded development and application of wind technologies. Launched in 2005, DOE’s Wind for Schools project now supports activities across 11 states. Interested K-12 schools in Pennsylvania should review the information available via the links below to begin the application process.
A goal of the Penn State program is to work with three to five K-12 schools in Pennsylvania per year to conduct feasibility studies, help develop funding for, and ultimately install small wind turbines that will support curricular wind energy activities in the schools. University-level wind energy education at Penn State is also a focus of this program. Students in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences and the College of Engineering will assist with the preliminary siting studies as well as the installation of the turbines as a part of existing courses. Also under development is a graduate certificate in Wind Energy Engineering and an online Professional Masters in Renewable Energy and Sustainability Systems with a Wind Energy Option.