With the Stars and Stripes snapping steadily over the Economy municipal building yesterday, that Beaver County hilltop seemed a perfect spot to launch Pennsylvania's Small Wind Energy Project, a program to promote the alternative energy source and possibly blow more manufacturing jobs into the state.

State Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Kathleen McGinty announced that the Beaver County borough will get one of 15 small wind energy turbines that will be scattered around the commonwealth in the demonstration program funded with $193,000 from the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority.

The small, technologically advanced wind turbines, manufactured in Flagstaff, Ariz., by Southwest Windpower, will be mounted on 35-foot towers at local government buildings, schools and other public facilities. Each costs $10,000 and will generate 1.8 kilowatts of electricity, about enough to power a typical home.

Ms. McGinty said the turbines will be visible public reminders of the benefits and viability of wind energy.

"America needs to create its own sources of energy and find ways to power our future without sacrificing the quality of our environment," she said. "The Small Wind Energy Project is another step along the path to a clean and secure energy future for Pennsylvanians."

Ms. McGinty said that in addition to reducing local energy costs, the state is trying to interest the manufacturer in building a turbine factory in Pennsylvania.

Frank Greco, Southwest Windpower's chief executive officer, said the company just built a new production plant in Flagstaff a year ago, but is growing quickly and might soon consider opening new manufacturing sites in other parts of the country.

Although wind power provides less than 2 percent of the energy the nation needs, its growth has been dramatic in recent years as the price of traditional energy has increased and technological improvements have made small-scale turbines more reliable and affordable.

Mr. Greco said the turbines, developed over the past five years in conjunction with the National Energy Technology Laboratory in Golden, Colo., will be delivered next week and should all be installed and operating by October.

"They're esthetically pleasing, virtually quiet and operate at low wind speeds," he said. "They can deliver 425 kilowatt hours of power at wind speeds as low as 12 miles per hour, about what it takes to wave a flag."

Other sites in the western end of the state that are getting the wind turbines are the Southwestern Pennsylvania Water Authority in Jefferson, Greene County; Canon-McMillan School District in Washington County; Harmony Area School District in Clearfield County; Somerset County Technology Center in Somerset County; and Bayfront Center for Maritime Studies in Erie.

Pennsylvania is the leading producer of wind energy east of the Mississippi River, generating 153 megawatts, enough to power 70,000 homes. The state's goal is to increase wind power production to more than 3,000 megawatts over the next 15 years.

Economy manager Randy Kunkle said the wind turbine will power the police department building and maybe part of the municipal building, enabling the municipality to save about $7,200 a year. The turbine has an expected operating life of at least 20 years.

"I've had an interest in windmills and this was a golden opportunity to get a turbine for free," Mr. Kunkle said. "A lot of the time the flags up here are blowing horizontal."