May 4 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Paula Schleis The Akron Beacon Journal, Ohio


It's been three years and $1.5 million in the making, but the creators of a new wind turbine say they are ready for their product to take the world by storm.

Green Energy Technologies in Bath Township will officially launch its WindCube at the WindPower 2009 industry trade show in Chicago today.

Unlike the towering turbines built for utility wind farms, the 22-foot-tall WindCube can be mounted on a rooftop to supply energy to a single commercial or industrial site.

"It's the smallest footprint with the most amount of power in the entire wind industry," said Green Energy chief Mark L. Cironi.

The 60 kW WindCube, primarily invented by John Fedor of Eastlake, will be manufactured in Ohio.

Parker-Hannifin Corp. in Cleveland will produce the generator and electrical system. Roth Brothers Inc. of Youngstown will fabricate a patented shroud as well as handle installation and remote monitoring. Other area manufacturers are making the blades and the bearings.

Paul Belair, an Akron native and president of Roth, said he expects to hire 100 or more employees by the end of the year to handle expected orders. Roth currently employs about 600.

Cironi said a key to the WindCube's success is its ability to amplify the available wind. The turbine uses a shroud that funnels the wind into the blades, doubling the wind speed and producing eight times more power than a device without the shroud.

Wind drives the rotation of five blades, which connect to an electrical generator that produces alternating current. The system is tied into a building's electrical meter, reducing the amount of power needed from traditional utility grids.

The WindCube costs between $250,000 and $300,000, depending on installation needs, but in Ohio, about 70 percent of that cost is returned through state and federal tax credits and incentives.

The remaining cost will pay itself back in two to three years, Cironi said. A single WindCube produces enough energy in a 13 mph wind to power 18 homes annually, although the product is not meant for single residential use.

Commercial and industrial buildings, particularly in urban settings, are a primary target, Cironi said. Green Energy is also promoting the noiseless WindCube to vacation resorts, especially on islands, where energy can cost five times more than on the mainland.

Cironi, who grew up in Alliance and lives in Fairlawn, said Northeast Ohio is the perfect location for the enterprise.

An American Wind and Energy study found Ohio was No. 2 in skilled labor that could be transferred to the wind industry, so he's confident that Green Energy and its suppliers will be able to grow as needed.

The $1.5 million price tag to get the product developed came from about 25 friends and family, Cironi said. The first WindCube was recently installed at the Lake Erie Business Park in Port Clinton.

Another $2 million has been raised for the commercialization phase, led by an equity investment from Roth.

Roth, which is already providing energy management for customers across the country, has also been helping to line up initial buyers.

"With the federal and state incentives, and with the push to have a renewable source, there's not one customer that we've talked to so far that isn't considering putting one in to see how it works," Belair said.

Cironi said Green Energy doesn't have any competitors, and he's been receiving calls from companies all over the world.

"We are really in a niche market," he said.

Paula Schleis can be reached at 330-996-3741 or pschleis@thebeaconjournal.com.

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