Small wind systems gain momentum
By Chrissy Kadleck

The energy demands of Glen Jacobsen´s turtle and tortoise farm in Bird Island, Minn., sent him looking for alternative ways to power the special ultraviolet heating and lighting necessary to raise his 30-some threatened and endangered reptiles.

"Since the western plains of Minnesota are notoriously windy, I got my wind speed readings and realized that I had a viable wind resource on my property," said Jacobsen, who invested about $60,000 in erecting a 20-kilowatt wind turbine. It started producing power in August 2007, and in its first year churned out close to 30,000 kilowatts, offsetting 29.8 tons of carbon dioxide.

"With wind power, all of the costs are basically upfront -- to put in foundation, erect it, to put in the wiring, with the exception of annual maintenance and ongoing insurance," Jacobsen said. "Once that´s done, you just wait for the wind to blow."

Harnessing the power of small wind energy systems is something that is gaining momentum among businesses looking to make investments in clean and renewable energy sources, said Ron Stimmel, small wind advocate at the American Wind Energy Association, in Washington, D.C.

In 2007, the U.S. small wind turbine market grew 14% and deployed 9.7 megawatts of new capacity. In 2008, the market is expected to have grown 40%, Stimmel said, in part fueled by a new federal incentive passed in October that gives a 30% investment tax credit with a cap of $4,000.

Stimmel said an uncapped tax credit at the same percentage would do more to bolster the growth of small wind systems, which are considered capacities of 100 kilowatts or less that provide on-site power for homes, farms and small businesses.

The benefits of investing in wind energy are: a set price for electricity that you pre-pay, independence and self reliance and environmental pluses such as being an emission-free power that doesn´t use water and produces no hazardous waste.

"Energy costs are now a leading concern for small businesses," Stimmel said. "A wind turbine is a great advertisement. It´s tall and visible and it´s a great way for a business to demonstrate where their electricity is coming from and that they are proud of the solution."

Simple in design, wind turbines today are high-tech versions of the models that dotted homesteads and farms in the 1920s and 1930s.

The U.S. leads the world in production and they are sold in all 50 states but the market is only serious in states that have good policies and incentive programs such as Oregon, Vermont, New York, New Jersey, California and Arizona, to name a few, he said.

"The Great Plains has some of the best wind resource in the country, but small wind turbines require far less intensive wind to be practical and they can work fine in most parts of the country," he said.

For a company considering a small wind system, a wind study of the property is one of the first steps. Depending on the location, the wind resource can fluctuate widely.

It´s important for businesses to also check zoning laws, investigate any state or local incentive programs, check with utility companies about connecting to the grid and then speak to a local wind turbine dealer. Wind turbines are ideal in more open locales and must be at least 30 feet higher than buildings and mature trees and can´t be located near water.

Dave Pederson, executive director of Prairie Woods Environmental Learning Center in central Minnesota, said the center installed a 20-watt Jacobs wind tower on a 120-foot tower is December 2006.

"We generate about 50% of power that we need with the (turbine) and we also have 4 kilowatt solar array and we heat with biomass and solar," Pederson said. "We´re going for 100% renewable energy by 2010 and we want to be able to model available renewable energy technology for people in our area who might be homeowners, small business owners, farmers."

He said because the organization is a nonprofit they didn´t benefit from tax credits for the $51,000 in upfront costs.

"But it´s far easier to ask somebody to contribute to a project that geared to longtime sustainability that is congruent to our mission than it to ask people to help pay the electric bill for the month," he said.

Contact Waste & Recycling News correspondent Chrissy Kadleck at ckadleck@sbcglobal.net