This wind turbine has been at Mendive Middle School for about three years. This newer vertical version was put in place just before school began. As you can see its quieter, and operates more efficiently with less wind than the older version....
Here inside the school the energy generated is monitored. While its all important information at this point at least for the school, its information for students alone.
Jim Verdi is Mendive's Vice Principal:

"Help the district out a little bit with expenses trying to keep the building running. Nice that is dumps back into our place. At the same time we tie it into our technology class so that kids can see how much energy it is producing."

Educational certainly, but on a wider scale, wind energy here in Northern Nevada is out of the classroom, and starting to be taken seriously by those who want energy independence.

Jason Geddes is with the State Renewable Energy Task Force

"The production that is going on on wind turbines and farms is unpresidented and you see it all over the world and your are seeing it in our own area.Where we have a couple of wind manufacturers who are in the area now building turbines and planning to put turbines up in the area."

Geddes says there are plenty of wind power projects in the works...including one that proposes to build 72-large wind turbines here on McClellan Peak to Geiger Summit in Storey County. The Bureau of Land Management where this project will sit says it was selected because its where the wind is strongest.

Such wind farms are without their detractors. Residents near proposed sites worry about noise, about their impact on wildlife.

All those concerns have been brought up not only the McClellan Peak project, but proposed projects near Pyramid Lake and in Lincoln County.