Aug 27 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Sam Smith Daily Gazette, Sterling, Ill.

Seven years ago, Dale and Jeanette Balder cashed in on a new state grant and bought a row of photovoltaic solar panels to help power their new home.

That simple experiment marked the beginning of a pet project -- to achieve complete electricity independence in their 1,200-square-foot house.

With the installation of a 120-foot wind turbine in March, five more photovoltaic arrays, and a solar hot water system, coupled with judicious power consumption and radiant heating, they have realized their goal.

The project is so successful, in fact, that their Lee County farmette has become something of a mini power station, generating cash along with the electricity it provides.

"It started as a desire to reduce dependence on foreign oil," Dale Balder said. It "turned into a building process that you can do one thing a year, here, and another solar panel the next year after that, and take advantage of the grants."

The Balders now sell wind turbine, solar cell and water heater systems from their garage-turned-energy-independent office.

With Illinois legislation that took effect in April, power companies must buy back at retail rates any electricity that homes and small business produce above their regular consumption.

Word of that law was what sparked the Balders to put up their 10-kilowatt wind turbine. Its propeller pales in comparison to the 2-megawatt giants that twist away just up the road near Paw Paw, but it is still powerful enough to provide just about everything they need.

Investment in the project wasn't cheap. They have poured almost $100,000 into the various green energy generators.

However they've received much of it back. Each year, homeowners are eligible for 30 percent of the money spent on solar cells, up to $2,000. There is no cap for small-business investment.

They are one of seven Illinois homeowners to receive supplemental state money for their small wind turbine as part of a feasibility study for large-scale grants similar to those available for solar projects.

Plus, Dale Balder figures that as electricity prices continue to rise, the equipment eventually will pay for itself.

Although experts figure Illinois as the third-likeliest market for wind energy, after California and Texas, the state has neither tax incentives nor grants to supplement the high price of wind power. The federal government, too, provides no breaks for wind turbines, although homeowners can exempt solar panels from their annual income tax.

The American Wind Energy Association, an industry advocacy group, is actively lobbying the federal government to offer the same incentives for wind as they do for solar.

"It's a considerable investment, but more and more people are finding it worthwhile," said Ron Stimmel, an AWEA spokesman. Still, "we could see growth triple with same credit for wind as there is for solar, which grew 53 percent last year, as opposed to 14 percent for wind."

Lee County has become something of a boon for big wind in recent years. Commercial producers either have built or are planning to build about $500 million worth of large-scale wind farms in the eastern reaches of the county.

The Balders are betting that homeowners and businesses would cash in on the growth, too, if government would offer incentives for small projects similar to those of big ones.

"We're prime for these small wind projects, right here in Illinois, if the government would just get a little more generous," Dale Balder said.

Switching to green energy

Dale and Jeanette Balder run Heavenly Winds, which offers solar and wind power systems and solar hot water systems.

They invite anyone who is interested to tour their home at 2820 Chicago Road in Compton, and discuss ways to reduce consumption or install green-energy generators.

Their e-mail is heavenly@wildblue.com; their phone number is 815-631-2970.

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