Three wind turbines went up in February and are nearly ready to start moving.

A plan to make one Erie County school district more green hit a huge snag last winter. But, now, wind turbines are nearly ready to start moving.

Perkins schools had planned to have wind turbines cut their energy bills, but the project suffered a big setback because of the wind.

"Our high school and our high school stadium and just across the stadium is our middle school. They will provide up to 70 percent of the power for both of these buildings when fully operational," says Superintendent Jim Gunner.

Three wind turbines went up in February right beside the power grid they'll feed. All seemed well. "For about two days (laughs). We had a blade failure about the second day the turbines were on. One of the blades actually deteriorated and came apart and they've been down ever since then," says Gunner.

Turns out the blades were new design from a Chinese company, one that had a flaw. Fifty mile-per-hour wind gusts broke a blade loose on one turbine. Two more blades followed careening into the parking lot and the nearby end zone. Fortunately, no one was nearby. Now, shorter blades are in place for testing.

But today, there wasn't enough wind to turn them. The new, permanent blades will arrive soon; fresh from stringent tests and equipped with automated safety features. Gunner says, "They can monitor the speed of the blades at the tips and if they exceed a certain speed, they can apply a brake to the turbines. They can then turn the turbines out of the wind after slowing them down."

Despite the delay and what some call a disastrous start, Gunner says the winds of change are finally here. "There's a real commitment to green energy in the community and the school district and I think the community's anxiously awaiting watching them spin on a daily basis," says Gunner.
The turbines now have 2 safety systems: automated computer shutoff and a switch for administrators. Teachers and students will also be able to log onto the internet and see the turbines' data and productivity. The new blades should be installed and running in a few months.