Why waste the wind? This is the question on Mark Patt’s mind every hour of every day.
Patt is CEO of EverGreen Energy LLC in Bend, a distributor and supplier of photovoltaic solar tiles, solar hot water heaters and his main product creating a hurricane of excitement – the Windspire vertical wind turbine. EverGreen provides a tantalizing line of green-conscious, eco-friendly energy saving and energy producing devices to convert homes and businesses into “Net Zero Energy” structures. Their mission is to become a leading vendor of environmentally smart products, services and supplies.
“We started this company less than two years ago and got into the alternative energy business representing various manufacturers,” said Patt. “There is a lot of wind in Oregon and seems the most logical thing to do is utilize it. America is on the forefront of green technology and we need to lead the way and infuse our innovation and ingenuity into these clean energy products. Too many jobs in this field are being lost to overseas corporations.”
The latest trend among green builders and homeowners is to include vertical wind turbines on the property to capture gusts and convert that energy into stored electricity.
Windspire turbines are miniaturized clones of full-sized wind turbines seen gracing hillsides on vast wind farms and stand 30-feet-tall with a 15-foot base and a radius of two feet. A major difference between the two designs is the use of vertical airfoils instead of a propeller blade style system. The sleek turbines are made from durable corrosion-protected steel and aircraft grade aluminum and are engineered to operate for 25 years or more. Owners can paint or decorate their turbines in any way to suit their needs or blend into the surroundings. They’re produced in a plant outside Detroit using the same displaced worked employed in auto industry plants.
Due to the moving components spinning on magnetic bearings, the units are extremely quiet, producing sound levels in the six decibel range, barely above a whisper. For safety concerns, the turbines are installed with a braking system which activates when winds exceed 46 mph to prevent self-destruction and are rated at a maximum capacity of 105 mph.
EverGreen Director of Marketing Dave McCorkle thinks these turbines are a pure play to get your power. “Marrying the wind turbines with solar is a great way to utilize both technologies to get to a Net Zero position because when the sun is shining the wind isn’t always blowing,” he said. “Wind technology has been improving by leaps
and bounds.”
These wind turbines have been successfully tested and utilized across the country in such places as the University of Kansas, in neighborhoods in Ashland, Oregon, Adobe Software’s corporate headquarters in San Jose, CA and even at Google’s new data center in The Dalles.
“It’s an attractive, non-invasive piece of technology that’s good for the planet,” declared Patt.
Turbines work in conjunction with roof-mounted solar panels to provide and store electricity for household or commercial needs, often substantially offsetting measurable monthly costs for utilities, contributing up to 25 percent of the total power for the average home per turbine. Much is determined by the amount of wind available. The cost for all this high-tech gadgetry and efficiency does not come cheap.
Each Windspire unit costs $17,000 installed. However, a sizeable portion of that price may be reduced once tax credits and government incentives are introduced and applied. A 30 percent Federal Energy Tax Credit is available to those who obtain the turbines. Total payback for the unit is 7-9 years and that has been reduced from 27 years with decreased costs and increased efficiency of the turbines. They come complete with a high-efficiency generator, integrated 120 volt inverter, hinged monopole and wireless performance monitor. Output is 1200 watts or 2000 kilowatt hours per year assuming an average windspeed of 12 mph.
Why waste wind? There may be no reason to. The State of Oregon even has low-interest loans through the Oregon Department Of Energy (ODOE) that can provide financing.
“Our motto is to leave this world better than we found it,” said Patt. “My father taught me to come out of the woods without polluting it. The goal of EverGreen Energy is to bring homes and businesses from energy dependence to energy independence and we believe that can be easily achieved.”
thinkevergreenhome.com or Mark Patt at 541-508-4505.
