PERSONAL WIND IN CA, ORE

Where there is wind, people are starting to think about small wind turbines the same way they think about solar arrays. NewEnergyNews wants to know: Why not both?

Winds of change are blowing home; More residents embrace cost effectiveness of wind-powered energy, although neighbors may complain of whirring noise
Janis Mara, November 4, 2007 (Contra Costa Times)
and
Energy Trust promoting small wind turbines
November 16, 2007 (Portland Business Journal via Yahoo Finance)

WHO
Ron Stimmel, small-wind advocate, American Wind Energy Association; property owners who have built small wind; local officials concerned with permitting; Energy Trust of Oregon Inc.

This isn't your grandfather's windmill anymore.

WHAT
- There may be economic advantages to “small wind” installations, single turbines of modest size capable of powering individual homes or businesses. There may also be obstacles to developing them.
- Energy Trust has set up a funding program to help property owners overcome one of the obstacles, cost. It will provide up to $35,000 for residential customers of Portland General Electric and Pacific Power and $60,000 for business customers.

WHEN
- Property owners are already pushing for single turbines to power homes and businesses and local officials have begun to think about or establish regulations for permitting.
- Energy Trust is presently setting up the process for delivering cash incentives.

WHERE
- Smaller turbines are being amid residential and business communities in California.
- Energy Trust is based in Portland and serves Oregonians.

Aerovironment offers "Architectural Wind" to dress up and power box buildings.

WHY
- Small turbines can save homeowners $2000/year. Small turbine cost: 10 cents/kilowatt-hour (c/kW-h). Solar array cost: 18c/kW-h. Small turbine installation cost: $3-$5/watt of capacity. Solar array installation cost: $9-$10/watt of capacity.
- Solar arrays are more common in the metropolitan San Francisco Bay area because of obstacles to small wind.
- Most urban communities have zoning, permitting procedures and regulations for solar installations but not for wind turbines.
- Stimmel: a 5 kilowatt turbine, 40 to 100 feet tall, for a 2-bedroom residence (like a rooftop solar array) would cost, after rebates, in the $20,000 to $30,000 range and take 20 to 30 years to pay off. Much depends on the quality of wind. An anemometer may be necessary to evaluate the wind quality but “experienced professionals” can take readings that settle doubt.
- Noise and aesthetics are 2 other obstacles. Residential turbines make a regular, “swooshing” sound.
- Multiple local officials around the San Francisco metropolitan area repeated the same response to questions about zoning, permitting and regulations: “I don’t know.” All admitted it would be necessary to begin establishing answers as the popularity of wind turbines grows.
- Between Energy Trust grants and the Oregon energy tax credit, 50% of turbine cost is covered. Eligibility: 10 mph average annual wind speed w/o obstructions, 60-ft+ turbine w/1 acre of area around it, pre-approval from the Trust

Here's an unusual idea: Carbon offsetting at the source of the problem.

QUOTES
- Lyall Hunter, founder/electrician, Excel Solar and Electric: "We preach a lot and say we want to use less energy and be sustainable, but we have a long way to go. If it doesn't look good in the neighbor's yard, we complain about it…"
Muriel Thompson, SPG Solar: "We, as pioneers, had to work very hard with city inspectors and planning departments to educate them about the realities of solar…When you talk about the resistance to wind, you probably have not had a pioneering company that was determined to fight through all this to get the cities to understand it…"
- Scott Jackson, Evergreen Development: "There is a state law, AB1207, that says if you've got three acres or more you can put up anything up to 100 feet…If you live in town, that doesn't mean you can't do it, you just have to go through the use permit process…When you say, 'turbine,' you think of this big thing. What we do are single-site, single-point feeds, just for the homeowner's meter. We're one backyard at a time…"
- Alan Cowan, Energy Trust: "With proper siting, wind turbines can generate, on average, most or even more electricity than is consumed at a small ranch or family farm. For example, a 10-kilowatt turbine may generate an average of 900 kilowatt hours or more each month, which is about what a typical Oregon home uses during that time…"