Wyoming County agriculture building powered by wind

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The Scranton Times Tribune
November 18, 2008
By Josh Mrozinksi
www.scrantontimes.com

A state Department of Agriculture building in Wyoming County has become the state’s second such building to be powered by wind.

Montrose-based Trehab had the 33-foot, $15,000 windmill installed Nov. 11 as part of a project to promote residential wind power in the region. A dedication ceremony is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Thursday at the agriculture building, located south of Tunkhannock on Route 92. “The windmill is very quiet,” said Ron Williams, Department of Agriculture regional director. “A lot of people have stopped in to ask about it.”

Trehab’s for-profit subsidiary Trehab Energy and Home is marketing the windmills, which are called Skystreams and are being provided by Southwest Windpower of Flagstaff, Ariz. So far, 16 windmills have been sold, Trehab Executive Director Dennis Phelps said.

“We have had a lot of interest in the windmills, and we anticipate by next June we’ll have installed 40 to 50 windmills,” Mr. Phelps added. “We’re also putting together a couple of installation groups.”

The windmills, which range from 33 feet to 110 feet tall, are for residential or small-business use. Blades on the windmills are made of fiberglass composite and move clockwise. A two-way interface remote system is used to control the windmills, which have a capacity of 1.9 kilowatts continuous and 2.6 kilowatts peak.

Trehab has applied for a $300,000 state Department of Environmental Protection grant that would be used to help about 25 farmers defray the cost of acquiring a windmill, Mr. Phelps said.

“Windmills could reduce the farmer’s dependency on electricity from the public utility,” Mr. Williams said.

People who have a windmill could receive a tax credit for as much as $4,000, added Mr. Phelps.

The public’s increased desire for clean energy, a more favorable political climate and incentives such as tax credits will help the windmill market continue to grow, said Ron Stimmel of the American Wind Energy Association in Washington, D.C.

“Small wind turbines are becoming much more popular,” he said. “The U.S. market grew about 15 percent in 2007, and we expect it to grow by quite a bit more.”