Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
A different kind of wind turbine went up east of Colfax on Draper-Brown Road this fall. It’s difference in how easily it comes down.
Scott Draper and his son Daniel installed a ReDriven Power Inc. 10 kilowatt wind turbine in November. The device is equipped with a hydraulic system which allows the turbine to be lowered in order to perform annual maintenance.
It’s a project Draper expects to turn a profit in 12 years.
“My wife and I are realistically green,” said Draper. “It’s the cleanest power you can generate besides solar.”
The turbine is rated at 10 kw but is able to put out 12.
Its power output is determined by inverters, which change power from D/C to A/C and then supply it to the power grid. When the turbine produces more than the Drapers use, the excess power goes onto the Avista grid and down the power lines. So far, they have produced 586 total kw hours since Nov. 23.
Draper bought the turbine two years ago for $50,000 retail and became a dealer.
He and Daniel did all the installation work, which included 30 cubic yards of concrete and more than a ton of rebar for the base.
When the work was complete, county inspectors came to look at the foundation and state inspectors checked the electrical work.
The 80-foot tower is made up of four sections.
“We picked 80 feet because it’s not much more expensive than 60,” Scott Draper said. It also puts the turbine above the “wind footprint of our buildings,” Draper said. This refers to the turbulence caused by surrounding barns and sheds on the property.
Draper explained that, like a running stream and a rock, wind is split by obstacles and then comes back together.
“The rough rule of thumb is the higher you go, the better the wind is,” said Draper.
He plans to lower the turbine annually to clean the blades, inspect for any problems such as bee’s nests and grease the two bearings.
There are four different shut-off switches for the turbine. In addition, it is linked to the internet, making it controllable by the company which built it. They are based in Ontario, Canada.
Draper estimates that he put in $12,000 in concrete, rebar and permits on top of the $50,000 cost of the turbine and tower.
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
Reader Comments(0)