Jun. 4--LAS CRUCES -- Ben Sloter wasn't looking to save money, be green or show off to his neighbors.

He wasn't looking to be first either. Sloter, 86, just likes to stay active. In his latest project, he shunned solar panels for aesthetic reasons and instead installed a 40-foot tall power-generating wind turbine just outside his garage almost two weeks ago. El Paso Electric confirmed the turbine makes Sloter the first known resident to install a contraption of its kind on residential property in Doa Ana County. In an age where energy demands are high, along with concerns about the environment, alternative forms of energy are being looked at by governments and power companies. But don't tell that to Sloter, who spent about $15,000 to have the turbine installed.

"The only reason I did it is for a project," said Sloter, a retiree from California who lives just west of Las Cruces. His home sits perched atop a hill at an elevation of 4,300 feet where he says winds are stronger compared to down in the valley. "I just can't sit still, even though my legs are bad and I lost my eyesight ... I'll never live long enough for the thing to pay for itself, but that wasn't the purpose." The turbine hasn't been installed long enough for Sloter to see a difference in his approximately $300 a month electric bill, but he estimates it will take roughly five years for it to pay for itself.

But already he has seen the turbine's potential. A wind of about 3.5 mph is enough to turn it. At 17 mph, it's able to generate 2.5 kilowatts of power. At one point it caused his meter to stop and rotate backward. "There's a lot of information about renewable energy nowadays...As people become more aware of what's out there, they start asking questions," said Teresa Souza, spokeswoman for El Paso Electric. "Anything that, obviously, alleviates us having to generate more electricity, is relevant," Souza said. "But as I've mentioned before, people are just thinking more about renewable energy." El Paso Electric uses much larger turbines.

Its Hueco Mountain ind Ranch east of Horizon City, Texas is made up of two 213-foot towers that are expected to generate enough electricity to power about 500 homes a year. But Souza said there are drawbacks, and turbines are not for everyone, even those that can afford them. Sloter agrees. "I would say if you were down in the holler, no, it's not for you. If you were down where my neighbor is, he probably doesn't have enough wind," Sloter said. Souza pointed to El Paso Electric's peak usage times during the year, using as an example a hot July afternoon when air conditioners are running full blast and those than can stay indoors, do so.

In that scenario, winds are more likely to blow at night, not during the heat of the day. "The wind isn't blowing," Souza said. "It's like that with renewable energy. You can't harness that."