After eight years of learning by doing Jeff Matt of rural Shell Rock is ready to share his expertise in wind power with others. Through his new business, WinderFuel, Matt plans to sell and install Endurance brand residential-scale wind turbines to help more homeowners in Iowa enjoy the benefits of owning a residential wind turbine.
Matt operates the Endurance turbine and a larger Enertech turbine at his acreage served by Butler County REC. Both are interconnected with our distribution system and qualify for credits from our EnergyWise Renewables Program. We spoke to Matt about WinderFuel and the Endurance residential-scale wind turbines in Iowa. This is the first of three interviews (question & answer format) we plan to do about Matt’s interest in wind power.
1. Why did you select the Endurance?
It’s the only residential-sized induction wind turbine in that market. The design of this machine is by far the best that I’ve seen. It’s over built in every area and designed to last forever with minimal maintenance.
2. Can you describe it?
This is a 3.75 kilowatt (kW) machine with an 18 ft. rotor diameter. The turbine is on top of a 107 ft. wire-guyed tower hinged at its base for tilting down or up using a winch or vehicle.
3. How did you install/assemble it?
I provided the tower and other infrastructure. Windward Engineering from Utah provided the turbine. By building the tower and doing every part of the installation I’m able to understand the system intimately.
4. How did you meet the engineers who designed the turbine?
Last summer, we went to the Wisconsin Energy show in Custer, Wisconsin, and while talking with an engineer that helped me with some control updates on the Enertech, he mentioned that I may be interested in the Endurance. All he had was one brochure and he would not give it up, so I called the engineers at Windward Engineering. I talked with them for about an hour about the specific control and how they were doing it. It turned out that they were controlling the Endurance very similar to the way I had designed the Enertech machine control. As we talked, it was mentioned that they were looking for a low-wind site in the Midwest to test the Endurance. I convinced them I had that site and as a bonus we could compare kilowatt data from the Enertech with the Endurance.
5. Have you experienced any stumbling blocks in the installation or maintenance of the Endurance wind turbine?
Not really. There are many details, but the engineers at Windward Engineering were really patient with me.
6. Is the turbine meeting your expectations?
Yes. It’s actually more efficient at getting power out of the air than the Enertech. We are still collecting data on its production at the site here, which with the tall trees surrounding my home is not ideal. At the test site in Utah where the turbine is built, the turbine’s average output over a five-month test was 1,240 kWh, with the best month at 1,562 kWh. (In cost-of-service studies, Butler County REC uses 1,350 kWh as the average household consumption per month.)
7. Where do you think is the best market for the Endurance turbine?
People living on acreages that want to help offset their energy consumption now and in the future. This is like paying ahead on your energy bills. I don’t know what energy will cost down the road, but I know that when the wind blows my cost will be less and that dollar amount will only go up.
8. Do all communities allow wind generators inside the city limits?
Every community will be different. Mostly these turbines will be set up on acreages outside of towns.
9. Have your neighbors and community been supportive of this and your other renewable energy projects?
They just kind of shake their heads.
10. How important are rates and programs at Butler County REC to making your wind generation projects feasible?
Like they say, every little bit helps. As a percentage of total money for power put back on the grid, REC’s programs are really good. The best thing that you can do is offset your own usage through a net billing/metering deal though.
11. What is your advice to others seeking to install a residential-scale wind turbine at their home or farm?
When you look at the whole picture it is fairly obvious that energy is only going to go up and there is only so much you as a consumer can do. The most cost effective thing you can do is conserve energy. The next thing you can do is make your own energy. I have much more fun making energy than conserving it. With that in mind, now is the time to put up your own turbine. There are turbines on the market that cost less, but for the money you can’t buy a better turbine than the Endurance.
12. What makes the Endurance so good for the residential consumer?
The Endurance was designed for ease of maintenance (the tower tilts down for service), and it’s extremely quiet - something the engineers spent a lot of
time on because they believe the turbine’s quietness will be a strong selling point in a residential market. Its simple induction generator doesn’t need
inverters or other costly electronics. Any knowledgeable electrician can work on it, so there is no need for high-priced service people. The turbine won’t
self-destruct in high winds because the blade design prevents this with no moving parts. And lastly, the brakes are rated at four times the power with a
design life of 180 years.
13. What does the Endurance cost?
I suspect a turnkey unit will cost in the $30,000 range. Anyone who is out to make money will not be happy. My other wind turbine has taken a lot of work in the eight years that it’s been up. The Endurance will be easy to take down and resell, so the consumer can get their money back out of it.
14. What is the best way for someone to contact you?
Information is online at www.winderfuel.com and interested people can e-mail us at info@winderfuel.com.
