First wind turbine for Gloucester school

BISHOPS' College in Gloucester has become the first county school to have its own on-site wind turbine.

The planning application to install the £30,000 turbine was approved and the equipment was delivered on Friday.

The turbine can generate six kilowatts of energy, which is equivalent to two houses worth of electricity.

The power obtained from the turbine will now be put directly into the school's electricity supply, where it can potentially power up to 20 of the classrooms.

Principal Martin Spoor said he felt it was the school's duty to try to improve its green credentials.

"We are a church school and to show our commitment to God's creation we need to do our bit.

"I feel it's important to actually do things, not just talk about them and now we can actually demonstrate what we can do."

The college applied for grants to help fund the turbine, but one was unsuccessful and another is still in the process of being reviewed.

Mr Spoor said: "We haven't had any grant funding yet but we will recoup the money we spent over the years by using the turbine to power our school."

Although the turbine idea was an initiative instigated by Bishops' College, the Government has since published guidelines to encourage educational establishments to do the same.

But the plans for the turbine have angered residents living near the school who were concerned about the visual impact and noise it will generate. A group of residents stormed out of the meeting when Gloucester city councillors passed the planning application.

Mr Spoor said: "We're very proud to be able to be the first school in Gloucestershire to do this. We'd like to thank the city council for their co-operation.

"We're currently looking at whether solar panels will be cost effective for us."