Students in the Lompoc Unified School District are getting some hands-on experience as they learn about renewable energy.
At Maple High School on Wednesday, students were building their own windmills.
The windmills were recently delivered by Primo Energy and come with lesson plans for students in the 4th through 12th grades.
The goal is for students to learn about various concepts related to renewable energy, including data monitoring, how solar and wind energy work, and how the energy can be stored.
"I didn't know anything about solar panels," said student Jose Asencio. "It surprised me how such a little thing like that can get so much power to charge a phone. It surprises me. It's pretty interesting to know we have something like that at our school."
After each group of students builds and uses their windmills, they'll be disassembled so a new class can build them in their own style.
The lesson comes as construction on a new wind energy project is about to begin just south of the City of Lompoc.
The 98.14 megawatt Strauss Wind Energy Project will be built on nearly 3,000 acres off San Miguelito Canyon Road.
According to Santa Barbara County Planning Department documents, the project will include 29 wind turbine generators up to 492 feet tall, a 7.3-mile 115-kilovolt transmission line, an approximate 1-acre substation, and other facilities.
People in Lompoc will soon see windmill construction materials being transported through city streets.
On Wednesday, Caltrans shared a picture of a truck hauling a windmill blade on a test run in northern San Luis Obispo County earlier this week.
A Caltrans spokesperson says the actual transports are expected to begin next week.
