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Wayne Twp. man puts the wind to work: Residential-scale tower erected

The Urbana Daily Citizen
December 21, 2009
By SHAUN DUNLAP
www.urbanacitizen.com

NORTH LEWISBURG - Amid the controversy of installing an industrial size wind farm in Champaign County, one Wayne Township man has taken the initiative to put the power of the wind to work on his property, only on a much smaller scale.

Richard Bauder said he has been interested in the idea of a wind powered electrical generator for the past couple of years. Thursday morning, he was able to see that desire come to fruition as London-based SolarWindTek and Miller's Crane Service installed a personal wind turbine on his property along state Route 245.

According to Eric Sisco, owner of SolarWindTek, the Skystream model wind turbine his company installed on Bauder's property is the first turbine to be put up by his business. He added, however, that his company is young, about a year old, and he is currently working out the details for construction of other wind turbine projects in Madison County. SolarWindTek, he said, specializes in solar and wind renewable energy.

"This (project) is different from the industrial ones," said Sisco. "They sell the electricity right back to the grid." He explained that the turbine on Bauder's land, while also hooked into the grid, is hooked directly to Bauder's power box.

"The homeowner will use what is produced (by the turbine) first, then go to the grid," Sisco said, adding that if the turbine produces more than what is consumed, the excess energy is put back on the grid and Bauder is given credit toward his energy consumption.

The Bauder turbine is dissimilar from the industrial turbines in the area of size as well. The Skystream turbine, standing at 66 feet from the base to the tip of the blade with a 12-foot blade diameter, is roughly eight times smaller than the 492 feet turbines with 328-foot blade diameter proposed for the Buckeye Wind Project. Their workings and general purpose, however, are the same.

Bauder said he wasn't spurred on by industrial wind. "I just thought it sounded like an interesting idea," he said.

He admits that he didn't do a lot of research, but went on what he felt was right. The "green" aspect of the project did have some bearing on his decision, he said.

Regarding the controversy surrounding the Buckeye Wind project, Bauder said he didn't really want to get into any of that business.

"I'd just like to see how this one works out," he said.

After its erection, Bauder's turbine started generating 350 watts per hour, just under the 380 monthly average estimated by Sisco.

The cost

Another difference in the comparison of a personal-size turbine to the industrial-scale models is that instead of a corporation paying for the structure, the personal turbine is paid for out of the pocket of the land owner.

Sisco said that a 60-foot, 2.4 kW turbine like that one purchased by Bauder, currently costs around $24,000. However, with grant money available and tax credits, the actual cost to the owner could be significantly less.

"Government grants can cover up to 40 percent of the cost," said Sisco, and if the turbine is for residential use, there is a 30 percent tax credit that comes off the owner's income tax.

"It's the same as if you replace your windows and doors (with more energy efficient ones), just much larger," he said.

After grants and tax credits, the real cost of a similar turbine could be in the neighborhood of $7,200; and that price, Sisco said, can be recouped after seven to eight years in energy savings.

He did point out there are no government grants available for the smaller 45 foot tall turbines, however the tax credit is still in effect.

Bauder can expect to see a 45-50 percent reduction in his energy costs, Sisco said.

Concerning the decreased cost, Bauder wants to wait and see just how effective his first turbine is before contemplating the installation of a second, which could render his electric bill non-existent.

Sisco added that with other grants available for businesses and agriculture, a turbine or even solar panels could actually pay for themselves in even less time - three to four years. For farms and businesses, Sisco said it's really a "no brainer" to look into renewable energy sources.

The process

"I'd been thinking about this (installing a personal turbine) for a couple of years," said Bauder, "but I couldn't find anyone to come install one."

He even tried calling a company as far away as Arizona, but to no avail.

"One day I got some literature in the mail from Eric about SolarWindTek," Bauder said.

From there it took about four months, according to Sisco, for the turbine to be installed and begin producing electricity.

The first step, he said, is to go to the property and do a site analysis to see where the best spot for the turbine would be and the average wind speed for the area.

"The only zoning issue we have is setbacks," said Sisco.

According to local zoning, the turbine has to be 1.1 times its height from the property lines and houses. As a rule, Sisco said the property owner should be sitting on a minimum of two acres.

Sisco added, in order to be effective, he also likes the turbine to be at least 20 feet taller than anything else in a 30 feet radius, "to capture as much wind as possible."

After the site analysis, Sisco said he sits down with the client to go over past energy bills to come up with a cost and savings report. This would be when the best turbine height is determined. The higher the turbine, the higher the available wind speed and greater output of energy.

SolarWindTek deals with turbine towers from 45 feet to 100 feet, Sisco said.

After the cost and savings report, the land owner needs to purchase building permits and apply for any grants to help offset the cost.

"Getting the grants can take up to a couple months," said Sisco.

Once everything has been put into place, construction can begin, starting with the foundation being poured. After the foundation comes the actual tower construction, which can take anywhere from five hours (as in the case of Bauder's turbine) or two days (with a lattice style tower).

The specs

The Skystream model turbines, Sisco said, are made to last about 25 years with as little maintenance as possible. There may be a need for new blades or work on the inside mechanisms but, "There is surprisingly little maintenance. There's no oil, no fluids, but there are some moving parts that may need some work after a while."

The turbine itself, not including the tower, is 170 pounds and has three fiberglass blades that have a rated speed of 50-330 rotations per minute and a maximum tip speed of 216.5 feet per second.

It has a cut-in wind speed of 8 miles per hour, rated wind speed of 29 mph, is made to withstand wind speeds of 140 mph and has an electronic braking system to keep the blades from spinning too fast.

According to the cost and savings report from Sisco, with a 2.4 kW system producing an estimated 4,560 kilowatt hours for the year, Bauder will see $2,240 in annual energy savings.

"And as the cost of energy goes up, so does the energy savings," said Sisco.

"There has definitely been a lot of interest (in renewable) energy," he added, noting that with more people raising concerns about the rising cost of energy, he can see why interest in personal size wind turbines and solar panels will become very important in the near future.