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Wind, solar exhibits popular at farm show

Salina Journal
March 30, 2008
www.saljournal.com
By Tim Unruh

Tom and Tammy Slagle snared some interest last year with the 12-foot wind turbine they displayed at the Mid-America Farm Expo.

This year, folks are again stopping at their booth in the Bicentennial Center, but now they're staying longer, reading their materials and discussing issues.

"We've had a lot of second-time stoppers-by and a lot of new interest," Tammy Slagle said Wednesday.

The Lincoln County couple, whose PIFM Power business is nestled among the huge Smoky Hill Wind Farm turbines 25 miles west of Salina, say business is better because alternative energy is a current event.

"In general, it's (the wind farm turbines) made people aware of wind, to the point that they'll listen to us now and talk to us," Tom Slagle said.

While the crowd at the 43rd annual farm trade show in Kenwood Park has been smaller than normal, Tammy Slagle said she's been doing a lot of talking.

"We were hoarse Tuesday," she said.

"The people here are serious," Tom Slagle said.

The show continues today at 9 a.m. and concludes at 4 p.m.

The biggest portion of Tom Slagle's business is as a machinist. From a shop on their farmstead, his Job Shop business makes parts for metal fabrication shops and equipment manufacturers.

But the wind turbines and solar collectors the couple began selling in early 2007 to diversify his operation is growing.

The Slagles' "maintenance free" Skystream 3.7 turbines are meant to lower electric bills 20 percent to 50 percent by reducing the amount of commercial power consumed.

Earlier turbines required that the owner be "somewhat mechanically inclined and a little eccentric," Tom Slagle said.

All of that has been eliminated with the new turbines.

"I'm selling them as enhancements. That's the only thing I would advocate to people," he said. "You hook it into your electric panel and leave it. It manages itself."

A 5- to 7-year payoff

The cost: $10,000 to $11,000 with a little bit of site preparation provided by the owner, or about $12,000 for a turn-key installation.

The turbines will pay for themselves within five to seven years, Tammy Slagle said.

People are interested because they want to save money, she said, "or they want to because it's the right thing to do, to be greener."

The Slagles' exhibit caught the eye of Thaine Brown, and Scott Reiff, both of the Abilene area. They've been paying attention to alternative forms of energy.

"It seems like that's the thing to do, cheap clean energy," Brown said

More people would pursue wind and solar Reiff said, "if there were more incentive out there."

Let the sun shine

Heat and power from the sun has people's attention, said Bob Dolan, owner of BMK Plumbing and Solar of the Midwest, Salina. His booth in Heritage Hall has also been busy.

"I definitely would say that it's on their minds. We've been really pretty solid with a continual flow to our booth," Dolan said.

His company sells and installs solar water pumping systems for farms and ranches, solar water heating and radiant floor heating for homes, solar air heating, photo voltaic systems and wind energy systems.

"We're putting in more and more every year. People are really looking at their energy costs," Dolan said.

He pitches hot water systems that will pay for themselves in nine to 12 years by what they save in propane or natural gas. The biggest barrier, Dolan said, is the initial investment, which can be $5,500 or higher for solar water heaters.

But despite that, his business has grown from installing two systems a year when he started in 2004, to four systems in the past three months.

Incentives for going green

He is pressing Rep. Jerry Moran, R- Kan., to extend the federal tax credit for alternative water heating and photo voltaic technology, "which is supposed to run out at the end of this year."

Dolan is also promoting a state tax credit to Kansas lawmakers.

Tammy Slagle would like to see Kansas more wind-energy friendly.

"We are second or third in the nation in wind potential, and yet we have very few wind incentives," she said. "Our governor is pro-alternative energy. I would like to see her bring more incentives to the table."

In 10 years, Tom Slagle expects houses in subdivisions to be equipped with turbines, solar collectors and high-efficiency furnaces.

"The whole emphasis will be energy efficiency," he said.

The Slagles also expect PIFM Power to be commanding a bigger piece of their business. Part of that will be due to a voluntary slowdown in making parts.