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New wind turbine stirs up community



Dane Eirhart and Jared Smith of Smith’s Electrical Contracting show off the ‘energy ball’ mounted in the back of their pickup parked at the Lihu‘e Civic Center, Wednesday. Dennis Fujimoto/The Garden Island

By Coco Zickos - The Garden Island
Published: Friday, September 4, 2009 2:11 AM HST
LIHU‘E — Wind, sun and water.

The three natural resources abound on Kaua‘i, but the island still relies heavily upon the burning of fossil fuels and the importation of foreign oil.

“We have all the resources at our fingertips,” said Jared Smith of Smith’s Electrical Contracting in an interview at The Garden Island Wednesday afternoon.

To demonstrate just how easy using wind as a clean, renewable energy source is, Smith, along with business partner Dane Eirhart, came up with an idea which they’ve been proudly parading around town in recent days.

In fact, many people might have noticed the “energy ball” perched in the back of their black pick-up truck this week because it has apparently been generating quite a buzz.

“We’ve been getting more smiles than we have ever seen before,” Smith said.

The ball of energy is reportedly the first of its kind in the state and what makes it different from other wind turbine models is it won’t harm birds and is whisper-quiet, Eirhart said. So, all the misconceptions people have about wind turbines are no longer valid, he added.

Based on a physics concept — the Venturi Principle — air is taken from around the outside of the blades and passes to the inside before it shoots out as vibrational energy, Smith explained. And because of the way it spins, birds view it as a solid object, thus avoiding it. In addition, “It won’t irritate your neighbors,” Smith said.

Originally created in the Netherlands, the idea has already exploded across the Mainland and when Hawai‘i pays the highest fees for electricity in the nation, it “only makes sense” to bring it to the islands, Eirhart said.

While the goal is for Kaua‘i to be 70 percent fossil fuel free by 2030, according to the Kaua‘i Energy Sustainability Plan, Smith said there is no reason it has to take over 20 years to become 30 percent shy of optimum self-sufficiency.

Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative also proposes in their 2008-2023 Strategic Plan to be using “at least 50 percent of its electricity renewably without burning fossil fuels within 15 years.”

KIUC could not be reached for comment by press time.

In addition, Smith cites the County Council’s delay in passing Bill 2290 — which would make it easier for residents to construct small-scale wind energy systems — as an added hindrance in increasing island sustainability.

Though there are many obstacles yet to overcome, Smith added, “It’s clear to us that people in Hawai‘i are very interested in green technology.”

While the “energy balls” are costly and current economic conditions may not be ideal, Eirhart said it’s an investment that would produce savings within the “very first month.”

Costing anywhere from about $15,000 to $30,000 depending on individual energy needs, the ball comes with instant rebates, including 30 percent for enterprises and 20 percent for residences, Smith said.

With an approximate lifespan of 20 years, it’s a purchase that would take less than the products’ life expectancy to pay for itself, Eirhart said.

For more information, visit www.smithselectricalcontracting.com.

• Coco Zickos, business and environmental writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 251) or czickos@kauaipubco.com.





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Reader Comments
The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of kauaiworld.com.
TheWholeStory wrote on Sep 4, 2009 6:32 AM:

" Sad some guy with a wind contraption on the back of his truck has to show rest of us alternative energy sources that can work. Even if this thing doesn't "harm birds" there will still be some hippi-tree huggin'-bird lover that will site how it could harm some endangererd island mosquito. You watch, the nuts will come out of the wood work. Thats the REAL reason we have not used alternative energy sources yet on this island. The truth is, any alternative we use for generating energy will have some consequences to something. Something will always have to get sacrificed, and thats just the way it is. So the question is, do things stay the same, or do we move to the future and procduce energy resources that will help this island rely less on the outsied world. "



getalife wrote on Sep 4, 2009 8:25 AM:

" $30,000 !!?? "



Dave Camp wrote on Sep 4, 2009 10:08 AM:

" What a pitiful excuse for journalism.

With 5 seconds on google, you'll find an MSNBC article detailing the actual cost and energy production of these things. They're art, not energy turbines. The 1 meter model makes $100/year or less worth of electricity at a cost of $5% or more.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26645057/ "



Kauaibrad wrote on Sep 4, 2009 11:02 AM:

" Yeah, $15,000 to $30,000 is too high for that type of technology and size of SWECS. Should be more like $10,000 max and still have a margin for the contractor. At $20,000 the payback period on that would be close to the 20 year life of the device. Does not make a whole lotta sense for the prospective buyer. Would make sense, though, at $10,000 or less. "



seckauai wrote on Sep 4, 2009 11:34 AM:

" I know $30,000 seems like a lot. To clarify, the figures in the article were a rough estimate WITH installation. Each individual installation would be different, so cost would vary. What you do first is get an ROI (return on investment) performed to figure your individual usage needs, and that would determine your break-even point and when you'd actually start making money on the investment. It's important to know that we DO have options here on Kauai. "



Dave Camp wrote on Sep 4, 2009 10:45 PM:

" You can buy other 500 Watt turbines for $1500 or so. If it costs $25,000+ to ship iit in, put up a tower and do some wiring, you're in deep trouble offering this product. A solar PV system producing 5X that much power (2500 KW/year vs 500) costs about half that much including installation. If you google around, you'll see price quotes at around 2500 Euros or roughly $3500 for the turbine alone. It looks cool, but that's not really the poiint. A Skystream 3.7 which would produce multiples of the power of this toy would cost $15,000 to $20, 000 tops to install. $6K for the turbine, $10K for a foundation, pole and electrical goodies. Remainder profit.

Small wind is not the way to go anyway.. Most of us don't have a good place to up up a turbine such that it's 30 ft above all obstructions. So they don't put out anything like their design capacity. Turbulence is a killer for a turbine.

Wind has an enormous cost reduction with scale. A serious wind turbine ( 300 ft tall, 2 Mega watt unit) costs about 1/5 as much as a bunch of home units delivering the same power. This is where KIUC is missing the boat. It's a crime that those of us that want clean power are wasting 80% of our money compared to our Coop doing the job the way HECO has done on all the other islands. "



Dave Camp wrote on Sep 4, 2009 10:54 PM:

" At $20,000 you never get a payout. the 1 meter model makes "up to 500 kw/year". Very few places on Kauai average 15-20 MPH to give you that amount of power. At Sched Q rates of 12 cts/kwhr, you collect a max of $60/year X 20 years = $1200....nevermind discounting the cash flows back to the initial install date.

It's art... at best.

Not to mention, a 500 W peak power turbine costs about $1500-2000 tops. If it costs $25,000+ to ship this thing in and to install it when a local contractor was offering the Skystream 3.7 (peak power 2000 watts+) for $20K installed, this vendor needs to go back to the drawing board.

PV system producing 2500 KWhr/year cost about $15,000 installed. Half the cost, 5X the energy, no squabbling with the neighbors over visuals........

Wind should be done on a commercial scale. the giant windmills HECO has installed on the other island cost roughly 20% as much as home units per unit of capacity. WInd speeds are higher and more reliable up 250-400 ft. KIUC needs to stop trying to shop wind out to private market players who never get anything done. But then who'd be able to make a killing off of biodiesel? "