Sunshine and wind power have been turned into enough electricity to supply about one-third of the daily energy needs at Slippery Rock University's Harmony House.

That ratio should improve after the converted farmhouse is renovated to make it more energy efficient, according to Thomas Reynolds.

Mr. Reynolds is director of Slippery Rock's Robert A. Macoskey Center for Sustainable Systems Education and Research. Harmony House serves as the center's office and also includes residential space and classrooms.

Slippery Rock is one of three suburban institutions or governments north and west of Pittsburgh working to harness alternative energy sources.

Economy hopes to have its 1.8 kilowatt wind turbine producing electricity by next month. That project will supply power for the Beaver County community's borough building. Work also is under way in Pine to install a 50-kilowatt turbine that will generate electricity for a new community center.

All three projects have been planned and debated for several years. All are being built with the aid of various state grants.

Since the Slippery Rock system went on line Jan. 15, its wind turbine and photovoltaic cells, or solar panels, have produced about 3,000 kilowatt hours of electricity. Each kilowatt represents enough energy to illuminate a 100-watt light bulb for 10 hours.

While overall electricity production has been split evenly between the turbine and the solar panels, sunshine has been the more reliable source of green power in recent months. "While winter is better than summer, we see our peak winds in the spring and fall," Mr. Reynolds said.

Up-to-the minute information about its solar and wind energy production is available at the center's Web site, www.sru.edu/pages/756.asp. Visitors can then click on the text that says "See current energy generation."

The Macoskey Center system was designed primarily as a demonstration project, according to Herb Carlson, the university's assistant vice president of facilities services.

The center is Slippery Rock's main location for graduate student research on environmentally friendly housing and energy systems. It also serves undergraduates and everyone from kindergarten pupils to senior citizens with its environmental education programs.

Slippery Rock's turbine is mounted on a 110-foot-tall tower. Made by Abundant Renewable Energy, the system cost about $42,000 to buy and install. The solar panels cost another $23,000.

Planned renovations to Harmony House have the potential to reduce energy consumption by up to two-thirds, Mr. Reynolds said. That would mean the existing solar and wind system could meet most of the building's electricity needs.

"Every dollar spent on improving energy efficiency -- things like better insulation or a geothermal heat pump -- will save $5 to $7 in renewable-energy installation costs," he said. "The first step is to minimize the load."

Borough officials hope Economy's wind turbine will pay for itself through savings in six to seven years, according to Manager Randy Kunkle.

The $10,000 unit will be mounted about 30 feet above the ground, providing plenty of clearance for its six-foot blades.

The concrete pad for the turbine already has been poured at a site behind the municipal building.

Economy's turbine is designed for quiet operation, according to Mr. Kunkle. That feature and its relatively small size makes it appropriate for residential neighborhoods, he said.

Economy's turbine has been financed with a state Energy Development Authority grant.

Most of the energy produced by the wind turbine will be used to power lights and equipment at the municipal building, Mr. Kunkle said. But like the other two systems, Economy's turbine will be linked to the local power gird, with any excess electricity fed back into the Duquesne Light Co. system for use elsewhere.

Equipment installation is being done by Solar Energy Inc., of Ralston, Lycoming County.

"The opportunity for a grant came along, and we applied," Mr. Kunkle said. "Our buildings are on a hill that I consider to be a windy site."

The borough's only expense will be the cost of planting grass seed around the turbine's concrete pad.

Economy's turbine was made by Southwest Windpower Co., based in Flagstaff, Ariz.

Pine's turbine project is the most elaborate. Its 50-kilowatt turbine will be erected atop a 120-foot tower near the township's new community center.

Pine officials have applied for interconnection approval from FirstEnergy Corp., the parent company of Penn Power.

Both the community center and the turbine should be completed by January, according to a township spokeswoman.

About half of the project's $125,000 cost is being covered by a state Department of Environmental Protection grant.