NEWS Harnessing the wind: Chico firm helps Berkeley with wind power A Chico firm will install a small wind-power system at a nature center near the San Francisco Bay. Scott Jackson, CEO of Evergreen Development Group, is proud to be involved in the city of Berkeley project. When the job is done next month, Berkeley will be the first city in the country to rely on wind power for one of its buildings, according to Jackson, a Forest Ranch resident. Why did Berkeley hire a Chico company to install the system? Jackson said over the last eight years, his firm has installed about 20 wind turbines from Redding to Colusa. Some of them have been made by Southwest Windpower of Flagstaff, Ariz. When Berkeley wanted a wind turbine for its Shorebird Park Nature Center, Southwest gave the city one its newest models, the Skystream. The Arizona company insisted that Evergreen, which had plenty of experience, do the installation. "We're one of their premier installers," Jackson said. Evergreen participated in a groundbreaking ceremony for the project about three weeks ago. Jackson said his company will pour the concrete base for the wind turbine's 34-foot tower in a couple of weeks. Once the concrete has set, the turbine itself will be put in place. "We'll have it up and running at the end of August," Jackson said. The Skystream is a small turbine with three curved six-foot blades, that produces 1.8 kilowatts. It's very quiet and doesn't require a strong wind. But in fact, Jackson said, there's usually a good wind off the bay. That breeze will enable the turbine to provide power for a new classroom at the center. Located very close to the bay, the center is a popular destination for school field trips. It features hands-on activities for youngsters, Jackson said. There are aquariums and various displays on the area's aquatic life. The center also showcases the use of alternate energy. The main building, which is made of hay bales, has a solar hot-water system to provide heating year round. It also has a solar electric system to power the aquariums, computers, lighting and other equipment. When the wind turbine is operational, the center will come close to being energy self-sufficient. It will have the first city of Berkeley buildings to meet the goals of a city ordinance calling for an 80 percent reduction in greenhouse-gas emissions from residential, commercial and city buildings by 2050. Jackson said his firm installed a Skystream wind turbine for a couple in the Corning area recently. They had put in a pond with fish, but found adding pumps, for water and aeration of the water, sent their PG&E bill flying skyward. Their Skystream sits on a 70-foot tower and provides them with 400 kilowatts of electricity per month. The turbine cost $12,500 installed. The couple got a $4,500 rebate on it from the California Energy Commission, Jackson said. In business for 21 years, Evergreen designs and builds homes besides putting in alternate energy systems, including solar power. Jackson said he has access to a national wind atlas, which enables him to tell if a wind-energy system will be effective in a certain area. For wind, Chico is in something of a "dead spot," he said, but if you go five miles or more in any direction from Chico, there's normally plenty of wind. Glenn, Colusa and Tehama counties are all good areas for wind power, he said. Large wind turbines are very helpful in bringing down power bills at ranches in the area, he said. Jackson said he recommends combinations of solar and wind power for private homes. Such installations require a sizable investment but can more than pay for themselves over time. To completely do away with a PG&E bill for a typical, 2,200-square-foot family home might take an alternate-energy system costing $60,000, he said. To cut the bill to a manageable level might cost $25,000. Often it makes more sense to install such a system on a new home than on an existing house, he said. The time will come when alternate energy will be very common, he predicted. "It's going to be a slow process, but the trend has started." Staff writer Larry Mitchell can be reached at 896-7759 or lmitchell@chicoer.com. BACKGROUND: Evergreen Development Group of Chico has been involved in alternate energy for two decades. WHAT'S NEW: In Berkeley, the company is installing the nation's first wind turbine in a city-owned building. ON THE WEB: More information is available at www.powershacks.com (Evergreen's site) and www.windenergy.com (site of Southwest Windpower). Southwest Windpower - Renewable Energy Made Simple |
