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The paper describes education, outreach, and research activities on residential use of wind and solar energy performed at Frostburg State University (FSU). A residential size wind and solar energy demonstration system named "WISE" consisting of a 2-kW solar (PV) array and 1.8-kW wind turbine was constructed on FSU campus. A broad range of community outreach presentations have been offered to increase the public awareness of the residential use of wind and solar energy. The "WISE Certified Education Program" developed to provide instruction and training on design, installation, and maintenance of wind and solar PV generation systems was offered in spring and fall 2008. The WISE initiative led to construction of "Sustainable Energy Research Facility (SERF)" on FSU campus. SERF will be an off-grid residential building supplied by clean renewable energy and house the FSU Renewable Energy Center to offer research, education, and outreach programs.

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Experience gained from the operation of the Wind and Solar Energy (WISE) Demonstration system constructed on a state university campus is discussed. The small grid connected system consists of 1.8-kW wind turbine and 2-kW solar panels. It has been generating electricity since September 2007 to supply a small building on campus, which accommodates university offices. The purpose of the WISE project was to develop first-hand experience on electric generation for residential, agricultural, and small business applications in the region. Actual generation data collected throughout the six-year operation of the system are used to evaluate the performance of the solar PV and wind parts of the hybrid system. Efficiency of the components and cost effectiveness of the PV, wind, and hybrid systems are discussed based on the actual cost of the system with 2007 prices and estimated cost of a similar system with 2013 list prices.