Wind of change is blowing into Dundonald school

Jun 12 2009 by Sam Whyte

DUNDONALD Primary blew the community away on Friday with the unveiling of their new wind turbine.

The school's eco-committee is the first in Scotland to receive funding for the eco-gear as part of The Co-operative's £2m Green Energy for Schools scheme.

The 18 metre, 6kW generator was given the green thumbs-up after a £10,000 Co-operative grant was match-funded by £17,000 from the Government’s Low Carbon Building Programme (LCPB).

The official unveiling marks the end of an installation project that started back in May with Sundog Energy, the UK’s leading turbine installation company.

The big switch-on also marked a special occasion for the turbine designers Proven Energy whose president and founder, Gordon Proven, was a former pupil at the school.

Turbines work by converting the wind’s kinetic energy into electrical energy and Dundonald’s turbine alone is expected to generate 10,000 units of electricity per year – reducing their annual carbon dioxide output by 5.6 tonnes.

Senior community manager, Sarah Klueter said: “By switching on the wind turbine, Dundonald Primary is helping to educate the next generation about climate change while setting an excellent example to other schools, businesses and homes in South Ayrshire.”

All pupils and staff are behind the project and Dundonald Primary’s own eco warrior Zoe Corbett, 10, is delighted at the new landmark: “We are so pleased to have our own wind turbine.

“This will allow us to produce our own power and help us to protect our planet for the future.”

The Co-operative has worked with over 100,000 children and spent more than £1m installing renewable energy sources in schools across the UK during the past year.

It also looks set to introduce new green energy methods including wind turbines, solar panels, biomass boilers and ground source heat pumps to a further 20 schools nationwide.