Windmills to sprout as energy producers

By Joe Schoenmann (contact)

Sunday, Aug. 23, 2009 | 2 a.m.

In Cecil Huston’s back yard, two decorative 8-foot windmills churn, pushed by the winds that sweep down off the Sheep Mountain Range. The whirring blades are relaxing to the ex-Californian and retired elevator repairman.

Huston, 69, will soon be one of the first homeowners in Southern Nevada to take advantage of federal tax and NV Energy rebates related to the installation of a 53-foot, energy-producing windmill.

How much is this going to cost Huston? And since when is NV Energy so magnanimous?

Huston said the total cost is about $22,000. He estimates the rebates will pay for 60 percent of it.

The 12-foot diameter fan will turn only when winds reach 8 mph, generating about 2.4 kilowatts of energy. He expects it will furnish about 50 percent of the power consumed by his 2,900-square-foot home.

Huston’s monthly electricity bills average $146.40 over a year. He figures it will take about 10 years of energy savings to recoup his investment.

As for NV Energy, it has budgeted $15 million for incentives during the next two calendar years, spokeswoman Chelsie Campbell said. The company began accepting applications in summer 2008 and has received 150.

How much has the company provided in incentives so far?

About $120,000, most of that within the past few months. The company’s goal is to generate 5 megawatts through wind energy by 2012. That’s equal to roughly 2,100 windmills the size of Huston’s.

Huston may find his windmill relaxing, but others could disagree. Did anyone lodge a not-in-my-back-yard complaint, arguing the tower might disrupt his quality of life?

One person did at a county Planning Commission meeting in early August.

Huston needed the board’s approval for a zoning waiver because the county restricts the height of accessory structures to 25 feet.

One neighbor compared the windmill to a five-story building in an area where most of the houses are single-story. He said it would look like a cell phone tower.

Commissioners, though, liked the idea. One said a 60-foot pine tree would be more intrusive.

Commissioner Charley Johnson, who has seen more than his share of not-in-my-back yard-protests, said this: “I’ve heard these requests for alternative energy for the last four to five years and how they’re going to save us from destroying the Earth. But I’ve never heard a project yet where someone didn’t say ‘no, we don’t want it in our neighborhood, we want it in somebody else’s.’ Sooner or later we’re going to have to try these things out to see if they work or not.”

Huston expects to have his windmill up and running within a few weeks.

The county, meanwhile, is waiting to see what kind of code Las Vegas develops to deal with windmills in city limits. County Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani said if the city code is sound, the county might add it to its code book.

•••

How did that Dinner in the Sky proposal you wrote about last week turn out?

Call it a wash. Michael Hinden, owner of the restaurant — a large platform that seats 22 people who are hoisted 150 feet into the air using a crane — did not get approval to open his business after representatives of Wynn Resorts appealed. The resort lobbied commissioners, arguing that the restaurant didn’t mesh with the highfalutin digs of the nearby Wynn and Encore.

Informally, most commissioners tended to agree.

Was that out of respect for Wynn and his decades-long association with Las Vegas and groundbreaking remaking of casino operations?

That’s a pretty good summation. Although commissioners seemed to like the Dinner in the Sky idea, they agreed with Wynn Resorts that it was the wrong location.

They didn’t exactly kill Dinner in the Sky. Hinden was allowed to withdraw his proposal without prejudice, meaning he can come back with a new site without having to go through the red tape required of an entirely new proposal.

“They went with the proven operator, which is understandable,” Hinden said after the meeting. “I can’t have any hard feelings. I felt pretty good walking out of there, and hope we can find another spot soon.”

•••

Clark County Quote of the Week:

“I’m certainly not going to stand here before you and tell you that I know what it takes to be a successful workout facility because obviously … I don’t have any real expertise in that area.”

— Aviation Director Randall Walker, discussing lease terms for Henderson-based Fitness Beast Inc., an exercise equipment retailer that will open a gym at McCarran International Airport. The commission approved the lease and a company representative said the gym could open in about three weeks.