'Small Wind' Power Plants are Blowing Strong

[jpak]

http://www.newson6.com/Global/story.asp?S=8290967

DOVER, Mass. -- On a recent sunny afternoon Bob Loebelenz pauses to gaze 72 feet into the air at the spinning blades of his wind turbine, a small "clean, free electricity" smile creasing the corners of his mouth.

While giant wind turbines that supply power to utilities sprout along ridgelines across the United States, far smaller residential wind generators, like the one Loebelenz erected in 2003 to power his suburban Boston home, are still unusual in densely populated places.

That may be changing. Across the country signs are growing that "small wind" (a category that includes wind generators geared to supply a single home) is catching on in suburban and even urban settings.

"My phone has been ringing off the hook," says Mark Durrenberger, president and founder of New England Breeze, a Hudson, Mass., wind and solar power installer.

<more>

[OneBlueSky]

1. one partial solution to the energy crisis might be for every residence . . .

and every commercial structure to generate its own electricity via solar and/or wind . . . rather than massive solar arrays or wind farms that need acres and acres of land, individual energy generation can be far more easily accomplished by installing on existing rooftops and in existing back yards . . .

seems to me that, in a sane society, something like this would be a do-able goal that would make everyone part of the solution instead of only part of the problem . . . and as the costs of both solar and wind comes down and the energy efficiency continues to increase, the concept becomes more and more feasible every day . . .

the problem, of course, is that the utilities don't control the fuel source, so they'd do everything in their power to cripple such an initiative . . . but the time may be approaching where individual power generation becomes more and more necessary if we are to continue to live in an electrified, technological world . . .

[ladjf]

2. The costs of small wind turbines are too high for most people to

be able to afford. However, there is no reason why groups of homeowners couldn't form co-ops for turbines in the 1.5 megawatt ranges. A turbine of this size would cost 1.5 million plus land and installation and would produce enough electricity for 300 homes. During the first years, their electricity bills would be on a par with current prices. After the costs of the installation have been paid off, their electricity costs would drop dramatically.

The turbine could be located on an acre of land as near to the subdivision as possible. The homes should remain on the main power grid to be able to have power when the wind isn't blowing and to sell excess power back to the utility companies.

[OneBlueSky]

3. actually, I was thinking more along the lines of something like this . . .

btw, it can be mounted either vertically or horizontally . . . here's a story, with a link to the manufacturer . . .

http://www.chicagoaudubon.org/pages/20-06_02.shtml

as the technology keeps evolving, both wind and solar power should become more and more accessible to individual homeowners and businesses . . . this is just one example of the kinds of things that are being worked on . . .

[ladjf]

4. The vertical turbine has great possibilities.

Think about this. They could be mounted on the corners of buildings (particularly high rises) and take advantage of the corner vortices's and the small ground footprint.

[diane in sf]

5. especially with a smart electric grid, would be like the internet effect on top down media