NEWS

Salazar sees wind-driven turbine in action
The Pueblo Chieftain (CO)
July 9, 2007
By Tracy Harmon
www.chieftain.com

BUENA VISTA - Harnessing the wind for clean energy that will reduce humanity's carbon footprint was the focus of U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar's visit to a rural electric company this week.

Salazar, D-Colo., who serves on the Senate's energy committee, said he is excited about the state's potential to generate clean power from wind-driven turbines. Salazar got an up-close look at the new Skystream mini-turbine windmill which has been installed at the Sangre de Cristo Electric Association office in Buena Vista.

"The future is really going to be with wind," Salazar said. "There is a dramatic change in Colorado and today we are knocking on the door of a 1,000-megawatt wind-generation system that will be the equivalent of three coal-fired fuel plants."

The turbine, which just started cranking in the wind Tuesday and can produce enough electricity to supplement a household's usage, is a demonstration project for the electric company.

"It is a lab of sorts for conservation. We and other utilities can see what it does and doesn't do in the real world," said Paul Erickson, chief executive officer for the electric association, which serves nearly 11,500 customers in Southern Colorado.

As the wind turns the turbine, it generates electricity and sends data to an Internet collection site. At a wireless kiosk inside the association lobby, real-time data is collected showing how much wind power is generated and how that relates to carbon reduction.

Electricity collected is fed into the association building to help keep the company's lights, computers and copiers running.

"There is a lot of interest for us. We have lots invested in meeting seasonal loads, so we can learn from these new technologies. In a windy area, one turbine can meet up to half the needs of a home, maybe more," Erikson said.

A homeowner with a turbine is not energy independent, but can supplement the conventional electricity supply and at the same time reduce the electric bill. If the power shuts down, so too will the wind generator for the safety of power line workers.

If the wind doesn't blow, everything will continue to work on the electric company's juice.

"It just reduces your electric bill, so consumers won't notice a difference when the wind is not blowing," Erickson said.

Cost for a turbine ranges from $11,500 to $15,000 and would take 14-16 years to pay for itself. Sangre de Cristo Electric's turbine was installed by Chris Martin of Headwaters Energy & Finance in Buena Vista. Martin presented a "Wind Power to the People" T-shirt to Salazar.

The senator was briefed on the turbine equipment and how it works.

"We gotta get one of these for the ranch," Salazar said. "This is wonderful."

"We are going to need all the energy we can get," said Ray Clifton, executive director for the Colorado Rural Electric Association. "Projections are the state will need 5,000 new megawatts of electricity by 2025 - almost a whole new power company."

Salazar said the big issues for the 21st century are, "foreign relations - getting the world back together - energy and global warming."

"The United States imports 67 percent of its oil, resulting in our dependence on Middle East countries. The national security implications of our addiction to oil is evident and when you create clean energy you reduce the carbon footprint which leads to the third biggest issue - global warming," Salazar said.

Finding ways to reduce dependence on oil is critical, he said.

"The fact that right here at the foot of the Collegiate Peaks you are leading the way with this project - you can be very proud," Salazar said.

"The Senate has a good bill affecting alternative fuel methods that got bipartisan support when we voted on it. Now we need to get it through the House so people will have incentives for trying methods like wind energy."