RENO’S GREEN DASHBOARD

Reno Site Offers Comparison Shopping for Home Wind Turbines; Small turbine sales are increasing every year, but useful data on the amount of electricity the turbines generate is still hard to come by
Maria Gallucci, March 28, 2011 (SolveClimate)

"…[C]ity officials in Reno, Nevada, are helping consumers take the guesswork out of buying home turbines…[with] an online consumer guide called the Green Energy Dashboard that allows potential buyers to track performance of nine different turbines at four sites throughout Reno, including the city hall and a water treatment plant.

"Last month, data collected on wind speed, wind direction and potential energy production began streaming in real time to the three-dimensional, interactive Wind Resource Map…to show homeowners and businesses how each turbine type might fare…and where…"

click thru to the interactive website

"The smallest turbines, or micro units, range from .02 to .5 kilowatts, or enough electricity to charge a car battery. The larger turbines can reach 100 kilowatts and are an ideal size for generating power at large facilities with heavy electricity loads…Wind towers in the Reno project — each a different make and model — range from 1.5 to 15 kilowatts, a scale suitable for pumping water at the three waste treatment plants…An average utility-scale turbine, by comparison, can churn out 1,500 kilowatts, or 1.5 megawatts…

"…In 2009, U.S. sales on small units grew to $83 million on 9,800 units — up 15 percent from 2008 sales…Residential-scale turbines can cost from $3,000 to $50,000 to install…[A] typical home wind system costs around $32,000 for 10 kilowatts of capacity. A comparable photovoltaic solar system would cost over $80,000 to install…"

click thru to the interactive map

"…[U]seful information is still hard to come by…[M]oving turbines even short distances could drastically affect the wind power potential, and building custom roof mounts could cost just as much as the turbine itself…[M]anufacturers couldn't say if ice would form on the blades, and one model shut down during bursts of gusty wind above 28 miles per hour. An ideal range for generating small wind power is 20 to 25 miles per hour…

"…Reno…expects to get 15 to 20 percent of its electricity from wind, solar and geothermal energy by mid-2012. Efficiency measures are on track to help reduce municipal energy consumption by 30 percent next year, saving about $1 million in annual costs…The city is also likely to meet its goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent by 2012 from 2003 levels…Reno used nearly $1 million of city grant money to purchase and install the turbines, plus an additional $550,000 to develop and run the three-dimensional wind map…More small turbines could be added to the nine-turbine project in the future, and some residents have offered to tie in their personal turbines to the study…"