Wind Power
Submitted by admin_green on Fri, 09/11/2009 - 15:44
The answer, my friend, is...
There was a time in America's history when the backyard windmill was pretty much ubiquitous here in the heartland. Pulling water from wells, helping to power small machinery; more than that, helping to draw every last bit of use from the resources that were given to us. An evocative image and a powerful reminder of this country's spirit and history (great old photos can be found on this site).
The Vestas V17 is one of the models recommended for our property. The monopole mounting system is probably beyond our budget.
What's that line about everything old being new again? Wind turbines are back, and they're better than ever.
The modern, high efficiency wind turbine is a far cry from the windmill blades of the past, lazily rotating and rhythmically squeaking in the wind (this site is a great resource on wind power). Today's turbines are sleek, whisper quiet, and utilize the latest in aeronautical engineering to pull more power from the wind than our pioneer ancestors could even imagine.
You may have noticed that wind is the prime focus when people talk about America's greener energy future. Mr. Pickens (click here to visit the Pickens Plan site), is more or less betting the farm on wind. Why? Because wind is the only green technology that produces at a level that can seriously challenge the coal burners. Solar is great, and solar will be an important part of the energy picture for the Inn. But without wind, there's no way we can hit net zero status.
Wait, aren't they an internet provider? No, in this case net zero means that the Inn will produce at least as much electricity as it uses. We may have to tap into the grid on the very rare occasions when our onsite generators can't meet demand, but we will more than make up for that by selling excess generation back to the system. You can learn more about zero energy building at the Department of Energy's site (click here to go there. One thing you'll discover there is that former president George W. Bush has one of the greenest homes in America. The green movement is full of surprises!)
The house alone currently runs 22.5 MWH per year; add the 16 new rooms of the Inn, plus the Welcome Center, and we are going to need some serious on-site generation. So our turbine will be a teaching tool, a demonstration piece, a great way to find the Inn when you're just down the street...and a must-have if we are to be self reliant.
When considering renewable energy for your home, your first stop should be the DSIRE Web site, which lists all government incentives for renewable energy.
Randy Faller of Kettle View Renewable Energy (click here to e-mail him) came out on August 16 to do a wind site assessment. This included an inspection (approximately an hour and a half) and an interview (an hour). If you'd like to see the finished assessment (it's a Word doc and be forewarned: it's big), click here.
The local topography. Click to see a larger image.
Unlike our soil/water assessment, this time we got good news. The ground around the Inn is described as "gently rolling," and at an elevation of 1040' we are near the top of the local topography. The highest elevation in the area is just 60 feet higher, and is located to the east. Lake Geneva gives a wonderful, flat plane leading up to us for winds from the south. These are both good things, because winds in Delavan are predominantly from the south and west (SSW and WNW to be exact).
As this chart shows, winds are predominantly from the south and the west.
Average speeds in the area are 13-14 MPH, not quite on par with the wind-swept plains of Oklahoma, but strong enough to provide consistent power for turbines (click here to learn more about wind power in Wisconsin). If you'd like to see how Wisconsin stacks up against the rest of the country as a source of wind power, you can see a detailed map by clicking here.
The three key words to property value: location, location, location. The three key words for wind power: height, height, height. You want a minimum of 100' in height, because wind flows steadier and stronger at that altitude. Plus, you want at least a 60' height difference between your turbine and any obstruction (this could include buildings or other structures, geographic formations or trees and shrubs), to keep wind turbulence to a minimum. So it appears our turbine will need to be 120-130' tall to maximize efficiency.
The height of the tower has added an interesting wrinkle to the Inn's story, and has proven to be a learning experience for us. We've discovered that there are a lot of misconceptions about turbines: urban myths, "I had a friend who heard" kind of stories, things like that. We guess these kind of stories are bound to accompany any new technology. We'll be doing our part to set the record straight (this PDF fact sheet, which you can download, is a great place to start).
Green energy is new to this area, so local ordinances are being considered for the first time. We've been asked by Walworth county officials to help with the new legislation, which is both a pleasure and (if we do say so ourselves) an honor.
We envisioned the Inn becoming a vital part of a vital local economy. If the plan for the Inn helps shape the way green energy becomes part of life, economic growth and energy self-sufficiency here in our community, then we'll have really accomplished something positive. This is a great opportunity for Walworth county to take the lead in a greener Wisconsin. The economic benefit of the new wind technologies has recently touched the neighboring town of Kenosha (you can read about it here), and we'd like to see some of that a little closer to home.
Click here to see a very good article discussing some of the zoning issues associated with wind power. We'll be updating you on our progress.
