Project aimed at creating clean energy

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Noah Slater, 17, David Erun, 16, and Jordan Alexander work on a windmill that they will generate electricity. Mail Tribune Photo / Jamie LuschJamie Lusch

Three Ashland High School students are using some ingenuity and the wind at their backs to cut down on their carbon footprint.

AHS seniors Noah Slater and Jordan Alexander, and junior David Erhun, have their hands full with extracurricular activities this term. Using simple woodworking and metal tools, they are building their own wind turbine.

"We're attempting to create an efficient, economical option to use the wind as power," said Erhun, "one you can build yourself, that's affordable and portable."

Wind turbines create energy by harnessing power through currents in the air.

Erhun came up with the idea to build a turbine this summer, when he was attending the Camp for Climate Action in London. There he learned about grassroots energy projects, and one in particular caught his attention.

"They had a workshop teaching people how to build these wind turbines," Erhun said. "A lot of what they were discussing was over my head, but I understood it was something I could learn about and bring back with me."

Without the background in science necessary to grasp wind energy's details, Erhun turned to a pioneer in the field, Hugh Piggott. One of the world's leading experts in small wind turbine technology, Piggott authored "A Wind Turbine Recipe Book" in January of this year. His intent was to show people how easy it is to create carbon-neutral energy.

Erhun read the book, and took his advice to heart. Soon after returning from London, he recruited Slater and Alexander, and the trio set to work building the turbine's three blades according to Piggott's instructions.

Each of the blades is about one meter long, making their model only one-quarter the size of a typical small wind turbine.

While they admit their turbine may not produce much electricity, they say their project is more about reinforcing what Erhun learned in London: that cheap, efficient and environmentally friendly energy is within anyone's grasp.

Larger models of these turbines are prominently used throughout Western Europe, and worldwide wind usage is on the rise. The United States took the lead in wind energy production in 2008, creating more than 30 percent of the world's wind supply.

Slater says working on their project, knowing their results could put clean energy on the power grid, is a source of pride, and makes giving up his free time worth it.

"We usually work after school, and that's fine," he said. "We have dedicated at least a few hours each day on weekends to work on it, and that's been fun. We've gotten a lot of work done."

When they finish the blades, they will install an alternator, which converts the wind energy into electricity. Then comes the metal base, a process that requires some welding — and, in their case, will require some help.

"It's not that complex, we just don't have the tools to do it," Slater said.

Assuming they find help with the metal work, they plan to finish the turbine some time between November and January. Erhun says he hopes that, when completed, their work will show that a few high school students can come together and build something to power a new generation of clean technology — assuming there's a breeze.

"It's a demonstration," Erhun said. "It's setting an example that efficient energy can be produced at a low price. It can be set up anywhere, any time. It's a really cool idea."