HOME WINDMILL: The Cascade turbine is small, light and quiet enough to fit on a home, thanks to its plastic manufacture and surrounding ring.
Image: Courtesy of Cascade Engineering
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Downtown Muskegon, Mich., population just over 40,000 people, has one thing on New York City's Times Square: a small-scale wind turbine powering a liquid-crystal display. Only this (smaller) billboard gives the time, temperature, wind direction and wind speed, along with the cumulative energy generated by the turbine, rather than featuring the latest ad from Samsung or Calvin Klein. It's the first sign of what Grand Rapids, Mich.–based plastics manufacturer Cascade Engineering hopes will be a revolution in wind turbines for businesses and residences.
"We're allowing [homeowners] an on-site renewable solution for their home, whether in the city or [in the country]," says Cascade marketing manager Jessica Lehti. The company's SWIFT wind turbine is also aimed at helping businesses "offset those peak loads [of electricity demand], generate on-site renewable energy, and demonstrate their commitment to renewable energy."
The SWIFT turbine, based on a design from Renewable Devices, Ltd., in Scotland, is about seven feet (2.1 meters) in diameter, weighs a svelte 190 pounds (86 kilograms), and produces an average of 2,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity annually in winds of at least eight miles (12 kilometers) per hour from its five blades. More importantly, an outer ring around the blades eliminates the steady hum associated with large-scale wind farms.
"The wind was blowing 30 miles [48 kilometers] per hour this morning," says Arnold Boezaart, vice president for grant programs at the Community Foundation for Muskegon County, whose four-story arts complex boasts the first commercial SWIFT attached to a mast jutting from its outside wall. "The thing was just cranking like crazy but it was zero-noise. We were 10 feet [three meters] below the unit and there was no noise."
In fact, the turbine clocks in at 35 decibels—about the same level as a whisper, according to Lehti.
But that quietness comes at a price: around $12,000 installed on the roof and hooked to the grid compared with as little as $4,000 for some other small-scale turbine designs. And the turbine won't soon make up the cost: Two thousand kilowatt-hours is less than one fifth the energy use of a typical American home. "If they did some easy energy conservation tactics [it would be] pretty easy to get to around 6,000 kilowatt-hours, then it's about one third of the average home," Lehti says. But "in most cases, if you put this on your home you're not going to be rolling back your [electricity] meter."
In fact, such small-scale wind turbines are typically more about green design than actual energy generation, although the American Wind Energy Association predicts robust growth of as much as 20 percent in the area as a result of local and state tax incentives. In addition to the lightweight SWIFT, Mariah Power in Reno, Nev. offers a 30-foot- (nine–meter-) tall cylindrical wind turbine, whereas San Diego–based Helix Wind offers a turbine in the shape of a double helix, and Southwest Wind Power in Flagstaff, Ariz., has been selling its windmills for decades, among others. "Think of it as recycling," Lehti says. "In most places, you're not getting paid to recycle, you're paying your trashman extra to do recycling, because it's a good thing to do."
For those companies and homeowners looking to make a green impression—like Muskegon's Community Foundation—the SWIFT offers a quiet chance. "First and foremost we wanted to offer a showcase for alternative energy," Boezaart says. "To the extent we gain some electricity output to offset conventional grid-generated electricity will be added value. It will do that over time."
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13 Comments
Add CommentThere's nothing 'good' about buying a windmill (or PV system etc.) that costs more to purchase and maintain than it'll ever save. It's just consumerism.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThat little windmill is obscenely expensive. All you do by buying it is moving your money into their pockets where it'll be spent, ultimately, on energy. Energy to build and transport flat screens, cars, food etc. If you want a status symbol ("look how green I am") then by all means buy the windmill. Most people will fall for it. But in the end you'll have spent more money than if you didn't buy the windmill and you get no other tangible benefits. Instead keep your money in your pocket and spend the savings on something fun (flat screen?). The total carbon footprint is the same and you have a flat screen to enjoy. The Earth doesn't care if you or someone from Cascade buys that flat screen after all. Might as well be you.
To Cascade: design a windmill that lasts 10 years and pays for itself in about 5 years under average conditions. When doing the calculation you need to ignore tax rebates but include inflation, maintenance costs and loss of investment income (you could put the purchase price in a CD or something instead of buying a windmill). Then we'll have something worth talking about. What this means is that a better balance between cost and efficiency has to be found. You can't spend (say) $3000 in advanced technology if it only adds a few % efficiency and thus only saves $100 a year.
Sorry to be a spoil-sport. I love windmills (heck, I'm Dutch) but you have to be pragmatic about these things. Buying windmills just to have them makes no sense at all.
@Sander P: I am Dutch too, but I do not completely agree with your stand point.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI do agree with your view on buying small wind mills. Certainly for city dwellers living in below average wind conditions.
Rather than buying a huge plasma screen or SUV with immense carbon footprint, I would suggest these people to conserve natural reserves differently: Larger wind mill projects are a lot more economical than these small units. People that want to be green and have a grid connection can purchase a share in a wind energy project.
Also, people should note that in e.g. The Netherlands, the consumer price for electricity is much higher than in the USA (think 0.20$/kWh), and consumption per family is a lot lower (3500kWh/y). To an average Dutch consumer, this system would save $400 per year. Due to the high consumer energy prices, this system is much closer to a reasonable investment in The Netherlands than it is in the USA. Still, I think it would be "galactically stupid" if high energy prices would lead to the effect that large numbers of Dutch consumers would buy these inefficient energy sources rather than collectively investing in some wind farms with 5MW generators delivering much better power per Euro.
Hi Rob,
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI'm not sure how much you're disagreeing with me :) I have nothing against energy projects that make economical sense. If the numbers add up, they add up. Clearly local conditions like wind speed, corrosive effects, energy costs and labor costs need to be factored in.
I strongly support collective funds (tax) being used to jump start research and investment into technologies to develop real solutions to energy problems. I don't support government investment into programs that pretend to be green but really are not. In other words, our money must be spent carefully, not just because green is 'hip'. See how support for corn based ethanol has dropped once people finally did the math and figured out it was a loss leader. That math should be been done *before* pouring subsidies into that pit.
This past year the exorbitant cost of fuel has seriously damaged our economy.After filling up the family vehicles and paying more for every consumer product whose cost of production and shipping was passed on to us there was little left over to save, invest or spend. So, we tighten our belts , cut out some extras, buy only the bare min. That sadly in turn results in more job losses. OPEC has us over a barrel literally.WE reduce our use they in turn just cut production by 1.5 million barrels a day and vow to cut more if they don't get the price results they want.Our country needs to invest in reducing our dependence on foreign oil. The 168 Billion they paid out in the last stimulus pkg that did nothing at all for our economy would have gone a long way toward getting us started on the road to energy impendence. I highly recommend Jeff Wilson's new book The Manhattan Project of 2009. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in seeing America become more energy independent.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisPhysics sucks, doesn't it environmentalists.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHas anyone seen info about the possibility of attaching various sorts of human power as an assist or helper application to the windmill.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI'm thinking of something like an attachable bicycle sort of machine with sufficient gearing to allow the turbine to be pedaled.
The value of small hydrokinetic turbines (air or water) always depends on the site. For example our small canal turbines make between 2-30 kW/hr depending on the current velocity. The value of electricity produced varies between 5 and 100 cents/kW. The combined variability means that: there are no rules of thumb. you have to work with the site you have. See hydrovolts.com for more information on in-stream aquatic hydrokinetic turbines.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI am not an engineer but I still like to ask questions or challange those that are. look at your wrist most of us are wearing wrist watches. Take the old wind-up kind .... now lets think big scale can we not use this to run our generators? No longer even having to rely upon the wind, no emissions, only springs and gears.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisGet the terminology correct about windmills. A "windmill" mills or grinds corn/wheat. A wind generator generates electricity. The term "windmill" should be dropped from the green debate altogether. At least let the scietific community know that we know what we are talking about! Or, perhaps they also think a windmill generates electricity?..Steve
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIf we can sell entire computers for <$200, why in the hell does this thing cost $12K? I understand that it has inverters, etc., to bring the power into the grid, but are they not the same inverters as the $4K model? Are we paying $8K just for two more blades and a plastic ring? If we have learned anything from China and Walmart is the profitability of VOLUME sales! Suck up your pride and sell it for $2K. Make less profit per unit, but and sell the hell out of them!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAny decent electrician can mount generator and hook up the hardware. Heck, half of most homeowners could with a decent manual. Why are we expected to pay such a premium for the technology? As the old saying goes, "Pigs get fat, but hogs get slaughtered." Everyone has the right to make an honest living, but don't try to make it all of every sale! Spread it out! Give wind power some credibility through affordabililty!
These high prices are rediculous and discouraging. I can understand the manufacturing challenges and research dollars that go into PV, but wind? This is old tech! How much extra should it cost me for blades .03% more efficient? Get a grip and sell affordably, or watch the Chinese take over this market as well.
The small wind mills is a welcome sign. It may appear expensive today since the energy by most of the utilities are cheap. You may notice that the cost of energy is going up in higher proportions with compare with other commodities. We will have to depend on tapping renewable energy, at least to meet peak demands.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI am an Electrical Engineer and like to contribute whatever little I can do for the next generation.
There is an alternative design which I am currently testing which appears to be more efficient in terms of engineering (construction) and deployment (space utilization). A model of the device can be viewed at
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thishttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNqDoP0T7h8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2z3vDeQI6E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUd_LM6o0hc
Estimated power out is (613w 2' h x 1'w) (2.5kw 4' h x 2' w) (10kw 8'h x 4'w).
Performance can be enhanced with the addition of more airfoils.
Well I'm disappointed. The low noise part is great. Plastics are made from crude oil. You can build an automobile for 12k. I could put a considerable amount of solar panels up for the money also. Green technology seems to be regulated by how much the power companies expect to lose over time. Drop the price or raise the efficiency.
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