POCATELLO, Idaho (AP) — Teachers at Pocatello Community Charter School have a new tool for teaching kids about renewable energy, the climate and other subjects — a 51-foot-tall wind turbine.

The turbine was erected about three weeks ago under a U.S. Department of Energy program called Wind for Schools. Boise State University administers the program in Idaho.

Students will take daily readings from the turbine and share them with other participating schools, and teachers will use the device during lessons, the Idaho State Journal reported.

The total cost of the turbine is about $20,000, which much of the cash coming from grants and donations. It's capable of producing about 2.4 kilowatts of energy, which will be sent to the power grid. In return, the school will get credits on its utility bills.

But making power isn't really the point, said school principal Martha Martin.

"Our school has an environmental focus, so having a wind turbine on campus serves as a nice message," Martin said. "It is a residential turbine. It's not meant to power our school. It will probably give us pennies on the dollar."

Arwen Baxter, a student in the school's combined third- and fourth-grade class, says that when she saw a field of turbines last summer during a family vacation, she didn't know what they were. Now her class is reading about how the turbines work. Older students are using the turbine for more extensive lessons on alternative energy.

Arwen's classmate, Carson Kelly, said he's proud of the school's green reputation.

Wind power isn't the only alternative energy the school dabbles in.

"I'm really happy that about 25 percent of our energy (at the school) is green because of our solar panel, too," Carson said. "We're the first place in Pocatello to have a wind turbine."

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Information from: Idaho State Journal