A wind turbine that will be used to train Casper College students studying renewable energy was commissioned Wednesday during a ceremony at the Rocky Mountain Oilfield Testing Center near Midwest.

RMOTC Director Clarke Turner called the project "ambitious and exciting."

"It has resulted in a remarkable event: a wind turbine, the very image of new energy generation, is operating at Teapot Dome, one of the most historic oilfields in the world," he said. "This project represents new thinking in a time of great challenge in the energy arena."

The installation of the 6-kilowatt turbine within the Naval Petroleum Reserve 3, commonly known as the Teapot Dome Oilfield, is the result of a partnership between Casper College, RMOTC, and Rocky Mountain Power.

The turbine will be used by students in the renewable energy classes for the technician training and education programs. Certificates or associate's degrees are available in renewable energy.

"For those who earn a degree, I am pleased to say that Casper College is working on articulation agreements with the University of Wyoming, which will allow students to complete coursework in renewable resources or mechanical engineering, leading to advanced degrees," said Walter Nolte, president of Casper College.

Standing about 50 feet tall, the turbine is much smaller than the mammoth wind turbines associated with Wyoming's wind farms, but the more manageable scale of the turbine will allow more hands-on experience. According to officials, the tower pivots at the base and can be lowered to the ground for disassembly, maintenance and access to other components of the turbine.

Officials said they tested the turbine prior to Wednesday's event. The turbine produced an average of 3,000 watts of electricity, which was transferred to a nearby building and fed into the existing electrical system.

A second wind turbine is expected to be commissioned next year, according to officials. It will be designed to operate in isolation of existing power, demonstrating the potential for wind energy in remote industrial and agricultural applications.

Casper College, which already offers renewable energy classes, will begin offering a renewable energy degree in the next fall.

The college is using a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy to develop the major, and funding from Rocky Mountain Power's Blue Sky Program was used to purchase the turbine.