School's turbine runs out of wind

A WIND turbine has been removed from Climping's village school because it generated too little power.

The 9m-high turbine was installed at St Mary’s Primary School in 2005 as part of an experiment to see if the winds along the coast would make it sustainable.

The pilot project was designed to test wind energy technology, reduce school energy costs and provide an educational tool for pupils.

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But a West Sussex County Council spokesman said: “The decision to remove the turbine has been taken because of a series of factors, but mainly because the system has not performed well.

“Energy-saving costs at the school of £550 between April 2011 and March 2012 were not enough to cover the costs of maintaining and insuring the turbine. The company which manufactured and installed the turbine has also gone into liquidation.”

It had also become clear solar panels installed in more than 20 schools across West Sussex were performing better than expected.

The turbine’s cost was mainly covered by external grants and the county council met the short-term running costs. It was considered unsustainable for the school to take on these costs.

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A school spokesman said: “While it is disappointing that the turbine has gone because it had become something of a local landmark, we can take comfort from the fact we have contributed to the debate about sustainable energy.”