The wind late yesterday morning was at a near standstill. Not exactly the best way for the New England Institute of Technology to show off its new $455,000, 156-foot tall wind turbine.

Whatever wind there was wasn’t strong enough to turn the blades. It requires a wind speed of at least six miles per hour in order to generate energy.

But drivers traveling along either side of Interstate 95 can see the turbine, which juts high above the trees in the parking lot next to NEIT’s automotive building, near the highway’s northbound travel lanes.

After a few months of taking care of regulatory procedures and building a foundation of concrete and steel, the turbine was finally erected last week.

“Preparation took all the time,” said Philip Parsons, vice president of the institute.

As for whether the Northwind 100 turbine, which was manufactured by Northern Power Systems, will cut energy costs at the institute Parsons said, “It will help,” but “it was very costly to put up.”

The turbine’s purpose will not be solely to provide energy. It will also serve as a teaching tool.

Mike Eggeman, an electrical technology professor at the institute, said television monitors will show how much energy the turbines and solar panels are generating.

The institute will offer a course in renewable energies in October. It will cover wind and hydro energies. Students will learn about wind power from the large turbine, but also through smaller turbines – including some handheld – that the institute plans to purchase.

“The lack of trained people is what’s prompting us,” Eggeman said.

The energies industry has been moving towards using renewable energy sources. New England Tech is looking to capitalize on that development by training technicians well versed in the emerging technologies.

“It’s growing,” said Meg McKenna, chairwoman of NEIT’s electrical technology department. “There’s absolutely a need for new technicians.”

The department has about 170 students and will now offer a new degree, electrical technology with a focus in renewable energy.

On Friday the turbine was still a “Hard Hat Area.” Electricians were at work, cleaning up construction debris, testing the motherboard that communicates wind information from the top of the turbine, and testing the turbine’s protective relay system to ensure that “it trips” when producing too much voltage for the utility to handle, said Gene Plunkett, master electrician with Alteris Renewables.

For instance, if winds blow too hard, a scenario that could likely happen during a hurricane, the system is designed to shut down. This measure would ensure that the grid’s circuits don’t get overloaded.

An electrical weathervane at the top of the turbine indicates the wind’s speed and direction. The turbine will spin to the direction of the wind to maximize energy output.

It has been a costly investment, so the question is, will it be worth it?

From an energy standpoint, it may be, albeit about 15 to 20 years down the road, said Thor Thomforde, a senior field technician for Alteris, the company contracted to install the turbine.

“That’s the age-old question,” said Plunkett. “It has to do with incentives. When does it actually pay for itself without rebates? That will come in scale, of course.”

Thomforde thinks of the investment in the same way that some companies use hedging, a process in which they agree to lock in a certain cost for utilities by paying for them up front.

Thomforde explained that the turbine would convert “wild A.C. energy” generated by the wind into D.C. energy, which would be converted to grid quality power. This would then power the automotive building, which requires a significant source of energy.

Functioning to full capacity, the turbine will basically “spin the kilowatt hour meter backwards,” said Thomforde.

In addition to the turbine, the institute also has 135 newly installed 3 by 5-foot solar panels, which cost $255,000. The new photovoltaic energy did earn the institute a state grant. No stimulus funding for the wind turbine has come from the federal government, at least not yet.

Alteris recently installed a turbine in South Dartmouth, Mass.

J.J. McNamara & Son President Bob McNamara, whose company performed the electrical work on New England Tech’s turbine, said business for electrical contractors has been slow overall, particularly when it comes to residential business, which is “in the tank.”

The industry has been kept afloat through incentives offered by National Grid. Those who choose to make their residential and commercial buildings more energy-efficient would receive rebates, for instance, if they choose to buy energy-efficient lighting or energy-efficient heating and air conditioning systems.