Dorothy may like this kind of wind (turbine)
"Dorothy's Turbine"
Leave it to the self-described home town of Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz to harness the wind.
In Kansas-Smith Farms, located a few miles from Liberal Kansas (no, I did not make that up), a hog farm erected two Vestas turbines that were re-manufactured by Halus Power Systems in 2005. Each turbine has a capacity of 120kw which will be used to offset a portion of the energy used by the large commercial hog feeding operation.
The farm consists of several large facilities to house the hogs which require considerable energy for both cooling in the summer and heating in the winter. This project was NOT subsidized by a federal grant or state loan but rather by the farmer himself at an expected payback of about six years. (And note the solar panels on the barn roofs in the image on the right.)
As major commercial enterprises, monthly electric bills for farmers can be substantial. That’s why farmers in every state are adding even a small amount of renewable energy to their facilities or farm land to offset high energy bills. Wineries in California that use tremendous energy for processing and cooling are erecting solar on rooftops and un-cultivated land.
Kansas-Smith Farms, KS
Chicken farmers in Delaware are looking at putting solar on their expansive roofs to cover heating, cooling, and processing costs (and then there is the issue of what to do about all that manure – think alternative fuels).
And corn farmers in Indiana are erecting windmills on the perimeter of their property to increase annual income per acre while still maintaining revenue from traditional farming.
As each farm across country reduces their demand on the grid and far-off coal and oil fired power plants by generating even a portion of that demand on-site they join the energy locavore movement. Energy independence can only be achieved one house, one school, one farm at a time. It’s already happening, the pace is quickening, and the results are already being felt.
If you know of a great local story about farmers using renewable energy share it in the Comments section below.
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Vestas has built many wind farms in the worldwide. However we should note the wind farm noise problem. Usually the wind farm should be 5 km away from the living zones.
It’s known that cash can make us autonomous. But how to act if someone doesn’t have cash? The one way only is to try to get the mortgage loans and short term loan.
Using wind and solar solutions is a very practical and innovative way to offset your energy costs. These farmers should be commended for that. Hopefully, this will catch on in more heavily populated areas of the country. It would only make sense.