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Nancy Tabor, right, and Allen McLane, co-owners of McLane Electric, local dealers for Skystream wind turbines. One of these state-of-the-art generators will go up in their backyard in April. It costs about $20,000 to install and permit the wind turbine, but the.couple estimates they’ll save 60 percent of the cost from a federal tax.credit and local utility rebates.
Thursday, March 19, 2009 | 2:13 p.m.
Sun Archives
- Editorial: Make way for green power (3-15-2009)
- State giving up $500,000 per job in renewables (3-10-2009)
- Small town making hay (3-8-2009)
- NV Energy wants to build transmission line from Ely to Las Vegas (3-9-2009)
- Letter to the Editor: Suddenly, progress on renewable energy (3-9-2009)
- State faces obstacles to cashing in on the sun (3-9-2009)
- Small town making hay (3-8-2009)
- The problem with renewable energy in Nevada (3-8-2009)
For those who live on a half-acre or more, have plenty of open space and maybe a little bit of elevation, wind energy might be a cost-saving option.
Nancy Tabor and Allen McLane plan to install one of the first wind turbines in Las Vegas at their home in the northwest. With an up-front investment of about $20,000, they'll be providing power to their four-bedroom ranch house in unincorporated Clark County, near Lone Mountain. Local utility and federal rebates will cover about 60 percent of the cost.
"It's not really about the cost savings," said Tabor, who is a businesswoman and an environmentalist. "The offset on the power bill is not as significant as the environmental impact. It just makes sense to use a natural resource to take care of our electrical needs. But don't get me wrong, I like seeing the power bill go down."
Tabor and McLane will get a 30 percent federal income tax credit on the project, which comes to about $6,500. After they get final approval from the county this week and erect the 42-foot turbine, they'll receive a rebate check from utility carrier NV Energy for about $6,000.
Their wind turbine is one of several being built in Las Vegas, said John Hargrove, program manager for NV Energy. The utility company has about $7.25 million available in incentives for customers who install wind generators.
"A survey from NV Energy shows that customers ranked rebates and the new tax incentives as the No. 1 and No. 2 reasons for installing (renewable energy generators)," he said.
So far, the new pilot program has processed four projects — one in Winnemucca, two in Reno and one in Dayton — with about $40,000 given out in rebates.
The utility company plans to increase the total rebate amount available next year to $10 million, Hargrove said. The funds come from NV Energy customers.
Starting in late 2008, the Renewable Energy Program Rate appeared on customers' bills.
Rural customers aren't the only ones who'll benefit from a wind turbine, Hargrove said. Reno has one wind turbine on a quarter-acre in the middle of town.
Tabor and McLane, who own McLane Electric, are one of the local dealers for Skystream wind turbines. One of these state-of-the-art generators will go up in their backyard in April.
"It's cool to be hippie," Tabor said.
Since wind power for homes is so new and NV Energy just started its rebate program, the couple saw their turbine as a test run for their company.
After having one themselves and seeing how much it will cost and how much energy it will produce, they'll be better able to inform customers. And they'll understand local zoning laws pertaining to wind turbines.
Tabor, the business manager who will handle all the permitting and rebate applications for customers, said people will buy even during a recession. Customers want to produce less pollution and they want to cut their costs, she said.
And even though some might consider a wind turbine unsightly in a rural neighborhood, Tabor got about 30 letters of support from her neighbors for the project. They needed a permit to erect the steel pole because it was above height restrictions for the area.
"It was very well received," said Kim Bush, liaison to Commissioner Larry Brown and staff support to the Lone Mountain Citizens Advisory Council.
"People thought it was a great idea." Lone Mountain, a rural neighborhood preservation area, has about 5,000 residents.
Tabor and McLane's goal is to cut their carbon power emission completely and get off the electrical grid. About 70 percent of NV Energy's power for Southern Nevada comes from natural gas with purchased power. About 18 percent is from coal, with 9 percent from renewable sources, according to 2008 statistics.
Tabor and McLane's house uses about 5,000 kilowatt hours a month. Depending on wind conditions, the turbine is expected to produce on average 1,000 kilowatt hours a month, McLane said. The rest they'll produce with solar panels.
Has solar become economically feasible for residential homes in the Mohave desert?
Are there currently any tax credits, pilot programs, incentives or rebates being offered on solar alternatives?
Are there any city or county zoning restrictions associated with solar alternatives?
Wind turbines on 42-foot poles are unsightly and likely noisy.
"Wind turbine in a box" by Earthtronics costs only about $2000 and pays back in about 1 1/2 to 2 years. They are not noisy and can sit on top of a roof air conditioner. They will be available at Lowes, Menards, Home depot later this year. There are many places you can get a good wind turbine for a lot less than $20,000.00 On-line. Do your homework before you buy.
Great questions! Thanks for reading. This is what John Hargrove, program manager for NV Energy, has to say about solar energy:
Solar panel prices have stayed flat for about five years. The average price per watt has stayed at about $9, for larger projects. For residential it's about $10 a watt.
Nevada gets lots of sun, which makes a solar project more cost effective than in the rest of U.S., he said.
For more info check out the Solar Generations rebate program at www.nvenergy.com.
The feds offer a 30 percent tax credit or rebate, but you should ask your accountant for details.
My sources on this story, McLane and Tabor, said their solar panels are going to cost $500 to $1,000 each, plus the $1,500 invertor.
Captain & Becky, appreciate the feedback.
Regarding the miracle turbine from Earthtronics, check out http://www.greendaily.com/2008/06/23/ear...
Be sure to read the informative postings.
Appreciate the informative site bsii"
I am not sold on residential wind generation; typical residential locations don't possess the necessary wind speeds and consistencies to achieve adequate power production in anything with less than 20-foot blades.
I am thinking solar/battery combination but haven't researched it to know whether it's residentially practical (yet?).
I assume it isn't or we all would have heard about it.
I further believe the best approach is to design and build a thermally efficient home utilizing all the modern energy efficient technologies, but again, I haven't researched it and don't know if anyone (builder) is actually utilizing such an approach in production prefabrication applications.
1. No batteries needed. Net metering allows directly tying into the grid with NV Energy.
2. Lots of fabulous wind generators out there. www.mariahpower.com <http://www.mariahpower.com> has the Windspire which I just bought one but NV Energy can't give you the rebate on it until their testing is completed which can take forever. It's design might appeal more to people who do not like the traditional wind mill look. It's 30' tall and cylindrical.
3. We will report the actual production of electricity on our web page www.mclaneelectric.com <http://www.mclaneelectric.com> after Skystream is installed (also Windspire but that is months away since I will need to get another variance for the 30' tall generator). Summer is the slow wind season so data over the next year will tell the true story.
4. My next door neighbor only uses a swamp cooler. Power bill less than $100.00. Three foot thick walls of straw are very efficient building materials. They are thinking about putting up a wind generator after ours goes in next month.
5. Solar rebate applications not currently being accepted by NV Energy.
nancy@mclaneelectric.com if you have any more questions I will be happy to help.
"It's not really about the cost savings," said Tabor.
Obviously! It's about drumming up business for Tabor's company, McLane Electric, local dealer for Skystream wind turbines.
In an energy crisis, it's every man for himself!