"Be Green Two" Wind Power
KHON2 (HI)
August 12, 2008
www.khon2.com
By Kathy Muneno
Wind power goes mainstream in Be Green Two today.
A maui company is now distributing wind turbines for the home.
Harnessing the power of wind is nothing new, but until now it's taken a lot of space, it's a bit loud and has to be transmitted long distances.
Now, Maui Energy Company is distributing the Skystream 3.7 wind generator for the home...
Leo Caires, President of Maui Energy says, "We would like to bring the power source to where it's needed versus making larger power plants and transmitting that power to vast areas."
Easy installation Caires says, direct from the turbine to the home, compatible with any current utility system.
"Your primary source of energy will come from the wind, when it's windy and the utility becomes your backup source."
"In an event that the homeowner is not using a lot of power, the excess energy is basically makes the meter spin backwards and feeding power back into the grid."
Caires says it takes wind, from any direction, to generate power. And depending on conditions in your area, Caires says it can generate between 40 to 90 percent of a home's power need, anywhere from $840 to 22-hundred dollars per year.
"Typically these types of turbines require about nine mile an hour winds to start producing power 6:06 once they start spinning, they can maintain a level of power output at lower speeds also."
The traffic is often louder than the turbine, because of the design of the blade.
The cost is between 15 and 18-thousand dollars to purchase and install. The state does provide a 20-percent tax credit.
You do need a building permit that would allow a height clearance of at least 42-feet, so right now customers are generally in rural areas.
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