By LEE BOWMAN
Scripps Howard News Service
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Some like to watch their electric meters run backward. Others plot their savings using sophisticated software programs on a home computer. Still others consider how many pounds of coal or cubic yards of natural gas they didn't consume last month.
The motivations of owners of small wind turbine electrical generators are often both self-serving and altruistic.
"Sure, we like to do things that are good for the environment, but there are also economic advantages of going with wind power," said Cathy Simms, who with her husband installed a 10-kilowatt small wind turbine at their home in Wall Township, N.J. in 2002. "Our electricity bill has been reduced quite a bit."
The Simms benefited from a New Jersey clean energy program that covered about 60 percent of the $64,000 installation cost. They mounted the turbine on a 60-foot radio tower, because that allowed them an exemption from a local height restriction.
Even though there hasn't been any special federal tax treatment afforded utility-grade wind farms in recent years for small turbine operators, industry observers estimate there are well over 100,000 backyard and side lot windmills generating power for homes, farms, government buildings and small businesses across the country.
Wind power advocates are hoping that Congress will add a 30 percent investment tax credit for people who install wind turbines up to 100-kilowatt capacity this year. "Right now, markets for small turbines really only exist in the states that have good incentives," said Ron Stimmel, small wind advocate for the American Wind Energy Association.
The association reports that sales of small wind systems in the U.S. rose by 62 percent last year, to $17 million, and is expected to continue growing as long as energy prices continue to rise.
Would-be small wind operators typically face two big hurdles - local zoning restrictions and local utilities that make it difficult and expensive to connect the wind generators to the electric grid.
"Some contracts to interconnect can run thousands of pages long because utilities aren't familiar with the equipment and the concept," said Stimmel. "The idea is to let the grid be your storage system when the wind makes more power than you need."
This approach-- called "net metering"-- automatically credits electricity that flows from the wind into the power grid to the turbine owner's account, while the utility bills them if they use more electricity than they generate.
"I just love the feeling I get when I watch my electricity meter spin backwards, because the more often my meter spins backwards, the less I have to pay Southern California Edison," said Tom Rhamy, who has a 3000-watt small wind turbine on his five-acre homestead in Kern County, Calif., east of Los Angeles.
Like many turbine owners, Rhamy also uses a second alternative energy source - in his case solar cells - to complements the wind. Thanks to a state energy commission rebate and a state tax credit, he figures the system he installed in 2002 will nearly pay for itself sometime in the next year or so.
Other small wind power users live in remote spots so distant from power lines that they must live "off-the-grid." But where many ranches and mountain retreats once relied on diesel or propane generators, many more are now able to stay powered with a combination of wind and solar, perhaps with a bank of batteries to store up electricity for rainy, windless days.
Bob Solger, who sells and installs wind power systems mainly in Missouri and Kansas, neither states with wind incentives, still finds customers willing to invest the $30,000 or more for a system largely "because there's this spirit and tradition of independence in this part of the country that windmills have historically played a large role in fostering."
Even though professionals rather than farmers make up most of the clientele, "they're still impressed with the notion of having their own power source."
In theory, you could put a wind turbine on top of a condo or townhouse, if local zoning allowed for it. But as a practical matter, you need a spot with steady winds averaging about 10 mph, unobstructed by trees or buildings, and with at least a half acre of land to have clearance to put up a tower. Even so, industry experts say Census Bureau and weather data indicate there are more than 17 million households that meet those specs.
Although windmills aren't for everyone, the technology is improving to draw benefits from less and less wind. "I have one client who lives on a hill near Hannibal, Mo., with a turbine on a 70 foot tower. Even when there's no wind on the ground, he says that turbine is spinning all the time,'' Solger said.
Small wind generator manufacturers like Andy Kruse, co-founded of Southwest Windpower of Flagstaff, Ariz., believe that with a little more widespread support from government and utilities, could become nearly as commonplace around suburban homes as lawn tractors and big screen televisions.
Southwest last year unveiled a small generator called Skystream, developed in collaboration with the U.S. DOE, that is designed to easily connect to the electric grid, while operating the virtually no noise,
"Wind energy for the individual homeowners is finally mainstream," Kruse said.
The generator costs about $5,100 ($8,000 to $10,000 to install), and is rated to generate about 4,800 to 6,600 kilowatt hours a year, allowing it to pay for itself in 5 or 6 years even in states that offer no special incentives.
Kruse said the machines seem to be selling both in states with high energy costs and places that have lower costs, but where homeowners may be concerned about how secure energy delivery systems are.
One of the more promising markets for small wind systems are new developments featuring energy-efficient, "green" homes. Kruse said he's discussed the prospect of building turbines into new homes with several developers in the southwest. "If you can build it into the house itself, the cost goes right into the monthly payment, and cuts the monthly utility bill."
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