Wind power on a smaller scale carries potential
Jun 28 - The Kansas City Star (Kansas City, Missouri)
If Abigail Stutzman has anything to say about it, small wind turbines
will someday dot backyards across the Midwest.
The fifth-grader at Starside Elementary School in De Soto has an
interest in the environment, including helping to recycle much of her
family's trash. But she has bigger plans, inspired by her school's
recent installation of a turbine.
"When I grow up, I want to live off the grid," she said.
Much of the attention given to wind energy is for large utility-scale
wind farms full of huge, three-blade generators. That's where most wind
power is likely to be generated.
But the idea of producing wind energy just for a home, business
or small town continues to fire the imagination of those seeking
self-sufficiency.
Small wind turbines have blades from 12 to 56 feet in diameter. One
popular model for smaller homes has 12-foot blades, which can produce
about 30 percent of the home's power.
Small-scale wind projects accounted for less than 1 percent of installed
wind capacity in 2009. But the concept has plenty of supporters who
believe small turbines can provide an important supplement to
utility-provided electricity.
Small projects can face big obstacles, and progress has been much slower
than many hoped. Initial costs can be daunting and take more than 15
years for a homeowner to recover.
Turbines need more maintenance than some other types of renewable
energy, such as solar panels. And the trees and buildings in urban areas
like Kansas City mean that a standard-style turbine, to take full
advantage of the wind, could need a tower more than 100 feet tall,
increasing costs and possibly violating zoning laws.
The turbines can also be noisy, another strike against them in urban
neighborhoods.
August Huber III, CEO of commercial building company A.L. Huber, said
small turbines would eventually find their place. He has installed a
wind turbine at his company's Overland Park offices on Interstate 435,
just east of Roe Boulevard.
The turbine, which uses scoops instead of blades to gather the wind, is
designed for slower wind speeds in urban areas and is quieter than a
traditional small turbine.
Similarly, DST Realty, a major Kansas City real estate developer, is
planning a demonstration project at 18th Street and Broadway that will
have two turbines designed for urban areas. A traditional turbine has a
horizontal generating axis, designed for stronger winds. But the DST
project's turbines each will have a vertical axis.
As to how well they will work, DST Realty Vice President Steve Taylor
said, "We'll see."
Prospects look brighter in more sparsely populated areas. Although they
don't match western Kansas for high winds and open spaces, areas around
Weston and Leavenworth -- and even on the southern fringes of Johnson
County -- are promising.
August Spencer and his wife, a retired couple who live in eastern
Jackson County, bought a traditional small turbine more than a year ago.
The Spencers had enough land to put their turbine on a 45-foot-tall
tower, which should give the average eight- to 14-mile-an-hour winds
needed to be efficient.
"It can be real good like today, when I'm receiving 20-mile winds,"
Spencer said recently.
That experience can be replicated, said the experts, if you want to make
the investment and do your homework.
Susan Brown is manager of business development for the Energy Savings
Store in Lenexa, which sells solar collectors and wind turbines. Brown,
who once helped lead opposition to the coal-fired plant that KCP&L is
now building near Weston, has a wind turbine at her home north of Platte
City. She said the benefits go beyond the economic.
"Every kilowatt I'm producing, I'm not giving asthma to a child," she
said.
But she discourages many with an initial interest in buying a wind
turbine. Despite the Midwest's wind resources, a turbine can be a worse
buy than a solar-energy system, depending on location and on tax credits
and other incentives.
An installed 2.4-kilowatt wind system for an average residence can cost
about $20,000 and supply about a third of the home's demand for
electricity. Despite a 30 percent federal tax credit, Brown figures
repaying the cost would take roughly 16 years.
That can make it competitive with a solar-energy system, which also
qualifies for the federal tax credit. But solar gets the edge when
Kansas City Power & Light's solar rebate is included. This can knock 20
to 25 percent more off the price.
"We usually don't recommend wind turbines for Kansas City," said Brown.
However, a growing number of schools are showing interest in turbines,
although producing power often is a secondary reason. The Starside
Elementary turbine in De Soto will recharge batteries and run an
electric train, but its main purpose is teaching students about
renewable energy. Students asked for the turbine and helped raise money
for it.
"We worked long and hard for these things, and the kids are really proud
of it," said Paula Henderson, a counselor at the school.
Kansas City Kansas Community College is slightly more ambitious, with a
wind turbine that can produce about $100 worth of electricity in four
days. It is also used to train students who want jobs repairing wind
turbines.
The potential of small wind is clearer in places like Beloit, Kan.,
northwest of Salina and in the heart of wind country. This is where All
Things Exterior -- which sells siding, roofing and windows -- has
invested in its own turbine.
By taking advantage of the brisk wind and the renewable-energy tax
credits, along with depreciation rules that reduce the price for
businesses, the company expects a payback in seven to eight years, said
Troy Odle, the company's account manager.
All Things Exterior believes there is enough of a market for small
turbines that it is planning to sell them.
"It's not because we want to be tree huggers, but it's the right thing
for America," Odle said.
Small-town America, in fact, has had success with smaller wind projects.
Rock Port, Mo., and Greensburg, Kan., don't own turbines, but they do
get electricity from wind-generation projects developed for them. The
Greensburg project produces enough power for 4,000 homes.
The projects were developed or financed by John Deere Wind Energy, which
had been a major developer of wind energy for small towns but recently
announced it was getting out of the business. The John Deere subsidiary,
which has offices in Johnston, Iowa, declined to reveal what was behind
the decision.
Interested small towns could buy and operate wind turbines on their own.
This has been done across the country, including once in Kansas with
mixed results.
Jetmore, north of Dodge City in western Kansas, had $250,000 gathering
little interest in a bank account and decided to buy two reconditioned
turbines to provide some power to town residents.
They began operating last year, but after a few months the blades fell
off one turbine, which more recently has had vibration problems. The
company that sold the turbines is making repairs, but the town no longer
expects a payback in seven to 10 years.
"We found out why no one else had done one of these," said Lea Ann
Seiler, director of economic development for Jetmore. "But I still think
it was worthwhile."
What could be the future is companies like BTI Wind Energy in
Greensburg, the Kansas town that was destroyed by a tornado in 2007. The
community is emphasizing the use of renewable energy as it rebuilds.
Brad Estes and his family had the town's John Deere dealership, and they
decided to buy a wind turbine as they rebuilt. That experience led them
to start BTI, which sells turbines and aims to help others get into wind
energy.
BTI now extends into several states, offering help to homeowners,
businesses and schools.
"In the wide open spaces of Kansas, we should be able to do this all day
long," Estes said.
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FUELING THE FUTURE -- Green energy in the Midwest
The Midwest has potential for energy sources such as solar, geothermal,
wind and hydropower and also cleaner ways to power cars and trucks. In
occasional stories throughout the year, Kansas City Star energy reporter
Steve Everly will explain and explore the possibilities -- and what's
under way.
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FUELING THE FUTURE How small-scale wind energy stacks up in the Midwest:
Strength: Consistently strong wind in many rural and semi-rural areas.
Drawbacks: Buildings and trees make wind less efficient in urban areas.
Wind systems can be relatively high maintenance. Connecting to the grid
to sell back any excess power can be tricky.
Cost considerations: A homeowner could need more than 15 years to recoup
a system's initial costs. But a 30 percent federal tax credit helps, and
depreciation provisions help businesses further. Stable institutions
such as schools also can get long-term financing to spread out the
costs.
Short-term potential: Limited in cities, but alternate turbines designed
for urban areas are being tested.
Long-term potential: Better in rural areas.
To reach Steve Everly, call 816-234-4455 or send e-mail to severly@kcstar.com.
To reach Steve Everly, call 816-234-4455 or send e-mail to severly@kcstar.com.
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