Pre-intermediate Videoscript
Life
Page 127 Unit 10: Wind turbines
T = Jim Tirevold, G = Tim Grieves, I = Interviewer, Gd = Charles Goodman, b = Jan
Bolluyt
0.00–0.27 Around the town of Spirit Lake in Iowa, the land is very flat, and the wind blows
across it a lot of the time. The schools in the area have two wind turbines. These turbines help
the schools save energy – and money.
0.28–0.34 T The little turbine, since it’s been paid off, has saved the district $81,530.
0.35–0.59 The first wind turbine was built in Spirit Lake in 1993. It was one of the first wind
turbines in the USA to provide energy to schools. The first turbine was very effective, so a
second turbine was built. Together, the two turbines save the schools about $140,000 a year
in energy costs. Saving this money means the schools can pay for more teachers.
1.00–1.06 G Well, it will mean anywhere from two to three teachers, which is very important
at a time right now.
1.07–1.10 On the inside, you can see how big the turbines are.
1.11–1.14 T This turbine stands 180 feet to the hub height.
1.15–1.19 The turbines have to be very strong. They are fixed deep into the ground with
metal rods so they won’t fall over.
1.20–1.26 I What type of a wind could this withstand?
T It’s rated to stand up to 130 mile an hour winds.
1.27–2.33 Spirit Lake has lots of strong wind and so energy is produced by the wind turbines
when they turn. Even when there isn’t much wind, the turbines can still turn. The smaller
turbine sends electricity directly to the school. The larger turbine sends its power to the local
electricity grid and it is used by the power company. They pay the school money for the extra
energy. The local schools aren’t the only ones who make money from the wind turbines. In
the countryside south of the Spirit Lake schools, there are more turbines on the local farms. In
this area, 65 farmers produce and sell energy from the wind in the same way that they sell
their crops. Farmer Charles Goodman thinks he’ll make an extra $6,000 a year from the three
turbines on his farm.
2.34–2.41 I So when you see the wind kicking pretty good like it is, that’s money in your
pocket, right?
Gd I smile all the time when the wind’s blowing like this.
2.42–2.57 This part of the countryside now has 257 wind turbines. These turbines provide
enough energy for a small city with about 70,000 homes!
2.58–3.07 The turbines are also good for teaching the students about how energy works.
3.08–3.17 The local physics teacher Jan Bolluyt explains why it’s useful in class.
3.18–3.22 B When I talk about force, and energy and electricity, they see that we’re
producing it right here.
3.23–3.32 Students at the school write down information about the wind turbines and they
calculate how much energy they save and why it’s good for the environment.
3.33–3.44 B We’re talking tons of carbon dioxide. We’re talking tons of sulphur dioxide.
We’re talking hundreds of trees. So, you know, it’s not just a small thing.
3.45–end So in Spirit Lake, people are using wind power to earn money and to learn about
saving the environment.