Spirit Lake School District Case Study
Wind turbines at Spirit Lake Community Schools, the first wind-powered school district in Iowa.
Children playing in a playground with the Spirit Lake wind turbine in the background. Photo credit: American Wind Energy Association.
Spirit Lake School District Case Study
Date: 7/31/2012
Location: Spirit Lake, IA
The Spirit Lake School District in Iowa installed a 250-kilowatt (kW) wind turbine in 1993 and a 750-kW turbine in 2001, providing an example of installed renewable energy for other schools across the nation to follow while offsetting approximately 46% of the district's electricity needs. The following case study summarizes the project's history, including cost, funding, and technical details.
250-kW Turbine
- Spirit Lake School District paid $239,500 for its first turbine in 1993, which powers the elementary school. The district received a grant of $119,000 from the U.S. Energy Department and covered the remaining project cost via a low-interest loan from the Energy Council of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
- The district made the final loan payment in 1998, 3.5 years ahead of schedule.
- The Windworld turbine is 140 feet tall and has a 90-foot blade diameter.
750-kW Turbine
- The district installed a second wind turbine in 2001 for a total cost of $780,000. The Iowa Energy Center's Alternative Energy Revolving Loan Program provided a $250,000 loan with no-interest financing. Spirit Lake also received a $580,000 loan from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources with a 5.1% interest rate.
- The NEG Micon averaged nearly 83% of projected output in its first 5 years. The turbine's $120,000 in annual production exceeded the district's yearly loan payment amount of $93,000.
- The district initially used the surplus revenue to pay down its 10-year loans but is now paying for other district expenses instead.
- The 750-kW NEG Micon turbine is 180 feet tall with a blade diameter of 160 feet.
- The district paid an annual fee of $5,000 for a service agreement with NEG Micon to cover all parts, labor, and scheduled maintenance expenses for the first 5 years of the project.
The turbines have required only two major repairs. First, the computers had to be replaced in 2003 following a lightning strike. School insurance covered all but $1,000 of the $4,400 expense. Second, the NEG Micon gearbox had to be replaced, but a warranty agreement covered the entire fee, which exceeded $50,000.
| Year | Savings* $ |
|---|---|
| 1993 | $12,243 |
| 1994 | $24,978 |
| 1995 | $25,007 |
| 1996 | $25,951 |
| 1997 | $20,185 |
| 1998 | $19,853 |
| 1999 | $23,969 |
| 2000 | $21,650 |
| 2001** | $46,123 |
| 2002 | $137,798 |
| 2003 | $136,406 |
| 2004 | $150,420 |
| 2005 | $156,474 |
| 2006 | $129,987 |
| 2007 | $146,018 |
| 2008 | $132,776 |
| 2009 | $128,377 |
| 2010 | $163,515 |
| 2011 | $178,709 |
Source: Spirit Lake Community Schools
* These dollar amounts represent money the district did not have to use for utility bills; the money instead could be added to the general fund for other district needs.
**The district installed its second turbine in 2001.
This information was last updated on July 31, 2012