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New California Laws
Make Owning a The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) together with the California Energy Commission (CEC) launched a campaign this week to educate consumers about the benefits of owning a small wind system and the state incentives that exist to encourage California consumers to generate their own electricity. Several California state programs have recently come into effect that make installing a home wind system cheaper and easier than ever before. To educate customers on the new opportunities to invest in self-generation, AWEA sent out a mailing this week to 65,000 rural California households that could benefit from owning a home wind system. The Association has also added resources to its Web site at http://www.awea.org/faq/ca_shock.html. Even in moderately windy areas, small wind systems are the most economical way for consumers to generate their own electricity. Home wind systems are typically connected to the utility wires, so that when the wind is blowing, it reduces the amount of electricity purchased from the utility company, and during low-wind periods, the utility provides power as usual. These systems therefore do not need batteries. During high wind periods the home's electric meter will actually turn backwards. With the help of California incentives, a typical payback period will be six or seven years; after that, the wind power system generates virtually free electricity for the rest of its 30-year useful life. Since the savings are tax-free, this is equivalent to earning a return of 25% or more on a taxable investment. "There just aren’t many investment opportunities that good these days," notes Kathy Belyeu of AWEA. In addition, wind power does not create any by-products that pollute the air and water, nor does it contribute to global climate change. California leads the nation in programs to make buying and installing a home wind turbine easier:
· California Energy Commission rebate · State
tax credit
. New zoning law
· Net metering
More information is available from the following sites:
Mailing sent to 65,000 households available for download at : · Fact sheet on installing small wind energy systems in Solano, Kern, San Bernardino, and Los Angeles counties (95 kb) http://www.awea.org/smallwind/documents/ca_factsheet2.pdf · Fact sheet on installing small wind energy systems in Alameda, Sonoma, Santa Cruz, and San Luis Obispo counties (82 kb) http://www.awea.org/smallwind/documents/ca_factsheet1.pdf · Flyer on the California Energy Commission's 50% cash rebate for small-scale renewable systems (38 kb) http://www.awea.org/smallwind/documents/RenewablesBuydownflyer.pdf Plus more
than a dozen “success stories” of residential-scale wind turbine
installations California
Energy Commission
Map of California wind resource potential
Manufacturers with CEC-approved home wind systems Tehachapi, CA (Kern County) -- David Colley has seen a 30-50% decrease in his electricity bills since installing a 10 kW Bergey turbine in March 2001. Colley lives in an all-electric house built by his parents in 1979. Despite taking various measures to make his home more energy efficient, Colley’s electricity consumption ranged from 1,200-2,562 kWh/month. With Southern California Edison’s recent rate increases and 5-tiered rate structure, Colley found himself paying anywhere from $150 per month in the summer to as much as $465 per month during the coldest winter months. Nestled among the hills on a 2.5-acre property, the Colley house is cooled in summer by the winds that blow fairly constantly year-round. Why not, thought David Colley, take advantage of those winds to generate electricity? Permitting was not an obstacle. Colley’s neighbors were comfortable with the installation, which consists of a 10 kW turbine on an 80-ft. guyed tower, erected on a hill about 80 feet from the house. The installation itself presented no problems. The first storm shut down the system because of damage to the inverter box; the manufacturer (Trace) responded quickly, repairing the inverter at no charge and building a protective box around it. During its first year of operation, Colley’s small wind system cut his winter electricity bills by about $150-$200/month. With the California Energy Commission’s 50% rebate and the state tax credit, Colley estimates that his wind turbine will pay for itself within seven years or less. Scotts Valley, CA (Santa Cruz County) – Larry Gilliam and his wife “got interested in the whole idea of wind power” while visiting Palm Springs. “We took a tour of one of the small wind farms in San Gorgonio Pass,” explains Gilliam. “The big thing on my mind was reliability.” After reading about the California Energy Commission’s 50% rebates, Gilliam contacted a dealer. He decided on a 10 kW turbine. Height restrictions were an early obstacle to permitting, but a special wind energy zoning ordinance “leftover from the last energy crisis” provided the solution. With the help of his County Supervisor, Gilliam was able to obtain a building permit for his 80-foot self-supporting lattice tower, the first of its kind in Santa Cruz County. Gilliam hired a contractor to pour the foundation. Gilliam and his son put the tower together on the ground. In September, 2001, they brought a wind contractor to help erect the tower, using a crane. The electrical connections were completed by the end of September, and PG&E signed off on the interconnection and the net metering agreement shortly thereafter. The Gilliams’ system began operating in October, 2001. While below-average wind levels in their area have resulted in lower-than-expected generation figures for the first six months, the Gilliams have managed to cut their monthly electric bill from $120 to about $80, and are hopeful that they will see still higher savings over the life of the system. See more success stories at: http://www.awea.org/smallwind/success_stories.html ### AWEA, formed in 1974, is the national trade association of the U.S. wind energy |
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©
2002 by the American Wind Energy Association. |
