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Worcester Catholic School To Build Wind Turbine

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Apr 18, 2008 3:47 pm US/Eastern

Worcester Catholic School To Build Wind Turbine

Reporting
Ron Sanders
WORCESTER (WBZ) ― Holy Name Catholic School in Worcester is taking a proactive step to save on electricity and help the environment by building the first big wind turbine in central Massachusetts.

The school sits on top of one of Worcester's breezy hills.

On Friday, the 600 kilowatt wind turbine was delivered to Holy Name Central Catholic junior-senior high. The 262-foot wind turbine will be similar to one at Jiminy Peak Ski Resort and is being developed by the same firm, Sustainable Energy.

"It's just helping us preserve the earth and to not destroy anything that's coming from it," said Holy Name sophomore Philip Ndegwa.

When it's complete, it will eliminate the school's $20,000 a year electric bill and generate power that will be sold to the Electric Grid with clean, renewable energy.

"We're called to be stewards of the earth and we set a great example as a catholic school and an educational institution in general," said Holy Name senior Joe Sierra.

Holy Name President Mary Riordan has raised nearly $400,000 for the $1.3 million wind turbine.

Some $575,000 came from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, which invested in the Jiminy Peak turbine.

The Worcester diocese has agreed to loan the balance.

"Personally, I'm a great environmentalist. That, with the wind we have up here, put those together and it seemed like the perfect place to put a wind turbine," Riordan said.

"Our school's taking a huge step and hopefully other schools will say, 'Wow,' and follow the same steps," said Holy Name freshman Deanna Tomasetta.

Holy Name said the wind turbine should be assembled in about two months and it hopes to be testing it by June 1. Officials say they hope it will be fully operational by July.

They added that it would be nice if they could be independently generating electricity by Independence Day.

(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

© MMIX, CBS Corporation. All rights reserved.