Green Options » Windspire

Illinois Drive-In Becomes World’s First Wind-Powered Movie Theater

Timothy B. Hurst — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 17:31:12 +0000

Drive-ins are not as ubiquitous on the American landscape as they once were. Whether sitting outside in lawn chairs, or inside with the windows rolled down, at the drive-in you get to experience movies on a big screen without being crammed into a multiplex theater with a sticky floor.

I can say without equivocation that drive-ins are my favorite way to go see a movie — though, perhaps, not always the greenest. That is, unless you happen by the Harvest Moon Holiday Twin Drive-In in Gibson City, Illinois, where the owners just installed two small wind turbines on the premises that they hope will ultimately produce 100% of the theater’s electricity.

The Harvest Moon’s owner, Mike Harroun expects the small wind turbines to initially cut his costs by 30 percent, but that is only in the first year. Eventually, Harroun hopes the turbines will provide all of the drive-in’s power.

Newly Approved Uncapped 30 Percent Tax Credit for Small Wind Turbines Makes Wind Power More Viable for Americans

Reenita Malhotra — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 17:19:57 +0000

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act signed by President Obama includes an uncapped 30 percent tax credit for the installation of small wind turbines, such as Windspire, (www.mariahpower.com), a residential and commercial wind power appliance.

The tax credit, previously capped at $4,000, gives all American taxpayers (residents and businesses) credit based on the total installed cost of an installation of one or more wind turbines. The legislative package includes more than $42 billion in energy-related investments.

“Wind power is critical to the President’s new energy initiatives, said Mike Hess, CEO of Mariah Power. “It is refreshing that the new administration recognizes the potential behind renewable energy as a part of this important new legislation. Windspire transforms an untapped form of power – wind – into a cost effective, practical, and smart energy solution that is well-suited to homes and businesses. This is the first step toward a future in which our daily lives will be powered by renewable energy.”

New Options for Home Wind Power

Philip Proefrock — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 04:05:07 +0000

Utility-scale windpower is an important and growing part of the US energy portfolio. Farms ranging in size from dozens to hundreds of turbines can produce in excess of 60 megawatts of power. Plans for gigawatts of wind power are being proposed all over the globe, and new wind farms are regularly being proposed that outstrip one another to be the largest in their respective locations, or in the world. At the far end of the scale, the largest size wind turbines have a rotor diameter of 126 meters (413 feet), and are estimated to be capable of producing 20,000,000 kilowatt hours of electricity annually (enough to power as many as 5000 European homes). Since the power generated by a turbine increases exponentially as it gets larger, new turbines will continue to grow in size.

But small-scale turbines are perhaps a more exciting realm of development. The standard, propeller-style turbine is well established, and there are many suppliers for this kind of generator in a range of sizes. In 2007, Home Power Magazine had a roundup of more than a dozen small wind turbines ranging from 8 feet to 56 feet in diameter (the latter of which is far larger than even a large, inefficient household would need for their power requirements). Green Building Elements had a review of this article last year.