A ROSELAND school has gone green and installed a wind turbine to reduce energy usage and teach pupils about renewable energy.

The project at Roseland Community College in Tregony has taken more than two years to achieve, but the 12-metre high turbine is now installed at the top of the sports field, to catch the full effect of the winds.

In addition to cutting electricity bills and making the school better equipped to deal with future energy shortages, the turbine is expected save the school around seven tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions every year.

It is hoped the turbine will also help pupils and the local community to understand more about how small-scale, local sustainable energy projects have an important role to play in helping to fight climate change and the world's over-reliance on oil.

The turbine installed at the school has been supplied by energy company E.ON and is a five-KW free-standing unit. With a lifespan of around 20 years, the installation should generate around 11-MKh of energy per year. It will also show pupils how much energy is being generated at any one time and how much carbon is being saved.

E.ON helped the school to gain government funding to contribute towards the cost of installing the wind turbine through the Low Carbon Building Programme.

Tony Galloni, E.ON's head of sustainable energy solutions, said: "We're committed to changing the way people view energy in the UK. It's hugely encouraging that our commitment to developing low carbon energy solutions can also have the added benefits of educating young people about the advantages of renewable energy."

Jackie Lucas, the school's business manager, said: "This wind turbine will not only help us reduce our reliance on the national grid but also provides our students with an opportunity to learn about alternative sources of energy generation.

"With EU targets stating that 20% of energy consumption must be sourced from renewable technologies by 2020, there is a growing need to ensure that young people have an understanding of how climate change can be tackled, which is why the wind turbine is such an important asset to the college."