Aug. 25, 2006 — A small, affordable wind turbine available for the first time this September promises to help homeowners fight the rising cost of energy.
The Skystream 3.7, a wind generator from Southwest Windpower in
Flagstaff, Ariz., stands 35 to 100 feet tall — depending on the
location — and costs about half that of conventional turbines currently
available.
Southwest Windpower is planning to mass produce the Skystream and sell
it for between $10,000 to $12,000 installed, about half the cost of
similar size turbines, which are typically assembled by hand on a much
smaller scale.
According to the developers, the system could save the average
homeowner $500 to $800 per year on electricity.
"I think Skystream has a chance to break the 10 cent per kilowatt hour
at the best sites," said Jim Green, senior project manager at the
National Renewable Energy Laboratory's National Wind Technology Center
in Golden, Colo.
The center partnered with Southwest Windpower to help engineer and
test the turbines.
Comparable technologies that generate electricity from the wind or
even the sun cost between 15 to 35 cents per kilowatt hour, said
Green.
That high pricetag has kept renewable energy sources from being
competitive with fossil fuels. And for those willing to install wind
turbines, whether out of choice or necessity, there have been other
hurdles aside from cost.
Wind turbines typically require stabilizing wires running from the
tower to the ground to keep the structure steady. Installation is
further complicated by the need for up to three electrical boxes that
work to convert the energy harvested by the turbine into useable
household power.
But Skystream needs no stabilizing wires. It needs to stand just 20
feet higher than the tallest object within a 500-foot radius, so its
tower can be as short as 35 feet. And all of the necessary
electrical conversion is built into the machine.
After a Skystream turbine is installed, the house uses energy from the wind when it exists. If there is no wind, the house automatically takes energy
from the local utility.
