HOME > NEWS & PRESS > NEWS ITEM Local business first in area to sell windmillsShareHerald-Citizen COOKEVILLE -- Becoming dependent on alternate forms of renewable energy is rapidly becoming more and more possible. "Business grows by the day," Richard Grogan said about his new sales venture. Grogan, president of Total Quality Environmental, is the first windmill sales and installer in the Cookeville area. TQE installs windmills for both residential and business locations. Located in Algood behind the REI building at 125 Security Place, the building stands out due to the windmill in the parking lot. That windmill does produce some power, but not all of the office's power. "Windmills won't work everywhere," Grogan warns. "There are some great locations and bad locations. Research has to go into the location. That's just one of the many factors that goes into installing windmills." He goes on to say that the greatest incentive that relates to the installation of a windmill is the grants. "Commercial grants are quite lucrative," he said. "The state of Tennessee will give you a 40 percent grant. The USDA also has a rural development grant and the IRS also has a grant. These are all aimed at the small business application." According to Grogan, the cost of putting up a windmill is around $15,000. The accessibility of various grants makes windmill installation much easier on the consumer. "A windmill begins producing energy at 8 mph," he said. "It peaks at 28.5 mph and stops producing at 60 mph, for safety reasons," he noted. "An average wind speed of 12 mph produces a good result for the customer." Grogan had been researching wind and solar energy for residential and commercial businesses for the past two years and is looking forward to TQE's first venture in international windmill installation. "We will be installing one in Kenya this fall," he said. "The windmill will power the church school that is currently being built in the Rift Valley." Rift Valley is a geologic phenomena that divides Kenya neatly down the length of the country, essentially separating east from west. There is a great potential for wind there, making it an excellent location for a windmill. Grogan sells and installs Skystream windmills. With a rated capacity of 2.4 kilowatts, Skystream can provide anywhere from 40-90 percent of a household's or small business's total energy needs. It also operates at a low RPM and is as quiet as the trees blowing in the wind. TQE is also going to install three windmills in Maryville in the next month and a half for a residence and business. "Those will be installed in a high-wind area," he noted. He has installed others in the area, including one in Kentucky, one going in Fayetteville and another in the Phifer Mountain area. On a more local level, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has begun a Generation Partners program. According to www.tva.gov, it is a program where TVA will purchase all of the green energy output at a rate of 12 cents per kilowatt-hour for solar and 3 cents per kilowatt-hour for other renewable generation as a premium payment above the retail rate and any fuel cost adjustments. In addition, all new participants who sign up will qualify for a $1,000 incentive to help offset the start-up costs. The participating power company will provide monthly statements showing the energy used and any credit due. Power bills will be reconciled either monthly or annually, at the discretion of the participating power company. Energy consumed at the home or business, whether it is generated at the site or delivered over the local power distribution system, is billed at the standard rate. Customers should contact their local power company to apply for participation in the program prior to purchasing a renewable generation system. More information about the Generation Partners program can be found online at www.tva.com/greenpowerswitch. To find out more about the grants available to residential and commercial customers, simply do a Web search for DSIRE. Grogan can be reached at TQE by calling 372-0575.
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