PORTAGE | Portage Township Schools could be looking to the sun or the wind to provide some of its power in the future.
Superintendent E. Ric Frataccia told the school board recently that it is time Portage schools got into the alternative energy game.
"Alternative energy is the way of the future. I'd like to stay ahead of the game," Frataccia said, adding he wants to put together an alternative energy committee to study if, and how, Portage schools can use alternate sources of energy to save money.
Frataccia provided two examples of other school districts moving toward the use of alternate energy.
School officials visited North Newton High School recently, he said, where they have constructed a windmill which generates 900 kilowatts of power and allows them to lower their winter utility bill to $20 per month.
The North Newton windmill cost $6.2 million to build with an estimated payback of 15 years and a lifespan of 25 years.
Frataccia also pointed to a project recently completed at the Porter County Career Center which installed solar panels to collect the sun's energy.
"With our roof space, we should be able to generate something," he said.
Frataccia said he would also like to call on Fronius, an international company which recently located its U.S. headquarters at AmeriPlex at the Port in Portage, for assistance.
"We have Fronius in our own backyard. They are leaders in the field of storing energy from the sun," he said.
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