USA - New approach to wind turbines

They're tall, shiny white and twist almost silently in the wind, and though some might think they're the latest in whimsical outdoor decorations, they have a more practical purpose: They can produce half the electricity needed to run a small home. "They're cool," said Seabrook Building Inspector Paul Garand. "They sort of look like pieces of modern art."

The helix-shaped, vertical wind turbines are on display on Batchelder Road, outside Waterline Alternative Energies, one of three companies owned by Seabrook businessman and Rye resident Ralph Dumke. His company has the New England distributorship for Helix Wind, a simple, small, wind turbine created by a California company owned by former dot-com millionaires who wanted to start a company that did something positive for the environment.

"They hired a kid who graduated from MIT, and he came up with the design," Dumke said. "But, we installed one at Hampton Airfield. It's the first one in North America to produce electricity." Meant to use individually or in a group, the Helix Wind comes in two sizes: the smaller single helix, which generates 2.5 kilowatts or 2,500 watts of electricity, and a taller version — two helices, one on top of the other — which produces 5 kilowatts or 5,000 watts.

"It can run 25, 100-watt light bulbs," Dumke said of the single helix. "That could produce about half the electricity needed to run a small (home)." Dumke smiles continually talking of the small phenomenon that's taken place since the helices at his 19 Batchelder Road location went up.

"At first, explaining these to people wasn't easy," Dumke said. "But, once they were up, we've had a lot of interest. We've had more than 50 calls." Wind turbines aren't how Dumke, a civil engineer, has made his living for the past 22 years. Waterline Industries Corp. builds water and wastewater treatment facilities for municipalities, and Waterline Services maintains them. Those are the businesses that led Dumke to wind turbines.

"These treatment plants have always been energy hogs," Dumke said. "We saw the need for more economical energy sources for the plants coming when oil prices started to rise, so we went looking." Building the giant, horizontal, propeller-type wind turbine for treatment plants didn't seem appropriate, Dumke said. Plants are usually in residential areas, he said, and neighbors are already dealing with a lot having the plants in their midst. Adding the tall, propeller-type wind turbine would possibly be asking for trouble with neighbors.

But the Helix Wind is small and almost silent once it's up to speed. For a large facility like a treatment plant, groups of helix wind turbines would be needed, Dumke said, but for small businesses or homes, one could cut electric costs nicely. "The way it works is as it spins, it sends electricity into the house or business," Dumke said. "If you don't need the electricity, it sends it back to the grid, and your electric meter will run backwards. The beauty of these windmills is they're so easy to maintain. Basically, they need to be greased about once a year."

Dumke has proposals in to a number of businesses, like car dealerships, which use a lot of electricity and are often located on open roads where there is enough wind to make the investment worth it. Condominium complexes or shopping centers are other places Dumke feels can benefit. The Helix Wind could go on top of light poles to run street or parking lot lights that can be expensive. "And for a business that runs an exhaust fan, the helix can be placed right beside the exhaust vent, and it will run constantly," Dumke said. "Everything depends on location and the amount of wind available."

The price of the units ranges from $7,500 for the smaller and $14,500 for the large unit. But installation can double the cost. But, Dumke sees a day coming when new construction will include built-in wiring that will allow wind turbines to basically be plugged in.

For more information please contact Trevor Sievert at ts@windfair.net