NEW ALBANY — Just as they captured wind to produce energy, the steel blades that twisted on the turbine snatched the attention of a group of third and fourth grade students Tuesday.

It was a demonstration orchestrated by the New Albany company WindStream Technologies, Inc., whose TurboMill micro-wind turbine was showcased earlier this month in Finland as part of the U.S. State Department’s League of Green Embassies initiative.

Since the black turbine on display for Scott Burch’s science classes from Mount Tabor Elementary School was only a few feet high, it was propped up so the students could get a good view of the power generated from just the gentle breeze of a fan.

“I thought it would be neat for them to see, not only this facility, but to see renewable energy sources instead of just non renewable,” Burch said, as he referenced Indiana’s largest source of power, coal.

Burch organized the trip without expense to the New Albany-Floyd County Consolidated School Corp., as parents drove the students to WindStream for the tour.

Though the school system is on spring break this week, several students still attended the field trip where they heard WindStream Technologies CEO Dan Bates speak about his passion for sustainable power.

“I really believe we have to do more about renewable energy, we have to do more about carbon emissions,” Bates said.

WindStream Technologies — which is located in the Purdue Research Park of Southeast Indiana along Charlestown Road — launched in New Albany in 2009.

Bates said the innovative wind energy solutions offered by the company have garnered global interest in WindStream’s products. While living in California, Bates began to research ways harnessed wind power could be a viable energy option.

Bates realized there were obstacles in the way that prevented wind energy from being a choice for the masses, primarily the cost of turbines as well as issues with building codes.

Then Bates said he thought about satellite television dishes, which by federal mandate must be one meter or less to be placed on top of residential buildings. Thus satellites spawned his idea to yield wind turbines that are cost competitive with traditional energy while meeting building safety guidelines in terms of their height.

WindStream’s products are built with city-living in mind, Bates said. Turbines are engineered to capture power-producing force from winds as low as four to five miles per hour.

And they’re stylish as well, as bright green and blue turbines were on display for the Mount Tabor students who observed the simulation.

“Now you can get a turbine that’s not an ugly gray thing,” Bates said.

But wind energy cannot be the only method used for reducing the world’s carbon footprint, Bates conceded.

“We’re not saying that wind energy is the solution, I think there’s a lot of things that have to happen,” he said.

Solar power coupled with wind force is an example Bates provided of a sustainable energy partnership. He added general conservation of energy — such as unplugging electrical appliances when not in use, wearing a coat instead of cranking up the heat and making sure doors are closed when an air conditioner is in use — has a great impact on carbon emissions.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, or EIA, America’s fossil fuel emissions stemming from energy sources such as coal and natural gas increased by 3.7 percent in 2010.

In 2009, coal accounted for 45 percent of the nation’s electrical power, followed by natural gas at 23 percent and nuclear energy at 20 percent, according to the EIA.

Renewable energy sources such as hydroelectric and wind accounted for about 11 percent of electrical power.