Taking tiny steps toward capturing the power of wind
San Francisco startup offers small turbines as one way to offset the cost of electricity
Sunday, June 24, 2007
On many afternoons, the wind saws so strongly through Chris Beaudoin's neighborhood above the Castro district that he can lean directly into it and not fall over. So, after 20 years of watching the trees whip and bundling up in thick sweaters to walk the dogs, he's buying a residential wind energy system he hopes will cut his power bill by 30 percent. The heart of this system will be two graceful turbines that look like oversize Ikea lamps. They are the brainchild of Todd Pelman, a marine and energy engineer by training and a resident of another of San Francisco's notoriously windy neighborhoods. His new Bernal Heights business, Blue Green Pacific, seeks to capitalize not only on San Francisco's wind, but on its other plentiful natural resources -- open-minded residents like Beaudoin and the desire to be one of the greenest cities around. Whether Pelman's "micro-wind" project is successful may also depend on something else San Francisco has in abundance -- red tape and high costs. "When you're doing something like this, you continually doubt," Pelman said. "But I know a lot of successes in our marketplace have been just that -- disruptive technology or trying to create demand for something that doesn't quite exist." Pelman, a 34-year-old with thick, black sideburns who looks more like a lead guitarist than an engineer, spends a lot of time in the garage. Not ripping power chords, but monitoring the performance of the first and only working Blue Green Pacific wind turbine. Installed on his roof, the prototype's name is Maggie, after the youngest child from "The Simpsons." The production model, which Pelman is working on now, will be Lisa, the next-oldest Simpson. The road to the turbine-topped yellow house on Roscoe Street began in Germany, where Pelman worked as an engineer on consumer products. Knowing he and his wife would be moving to the blustery neighborhood above the Interstate 280 gulch, he started shopping for a wind turbine in a part of the world known for its use of renewable resources. But, after finding few options, he decided to build his own. Rather than the typical, horizontal-axis, windmill-style turbines most people think of -- the Altamont Pass wind farm is a prime example -- Pelman's steel, aluminum and plastic machine has a vertical axis and no sharp blades. It looks as though someone has sliced a hollow cylinder from top to bottom and twisted the two pieces around a pole, reminiscent of the double-helix of a DNA strand. The 7-foot-tall turbine and generator on the roof capture the power and send it to an inverter that converts direct current to alternating current. From there, it feeds into the electrical panel, where it helps offset power supplied by PG&E. If Pelman can reach his efficiency targets, a one-turbine system could contribute about 10 percent of a typical home's annual energy needs, or about 300 to 600 kilowatt hours per year. Adding more turbines -- Beaudoin is scheduled to have two -- increases the energy output. It also increases the price, particularly for startup technology that requires expensive manufacturing in a high-cost place of business. Pelman estimates he will have sunk $200,000 of his own money into the project by the time he starts production, he hopes within the next year. The target price for a one-turbine system is $5,000 (not including state and federal rebates that could knock about $1,500 off the price). Beaudoin will pay about $18,000 for his system. However, he will receive technological updates down the line, and his unit will provide Pelman and San Francisco with valuable data about the viability and scale of the system. Armed with that information, Pelman anticipates that he can raise money from Silicon Valley, where alternative-energy technology is the latest thing. "A solar unit to take care of all my electrical needs would be about $75,000," said Beaudoin, a flight attendant whose work brings him to countries where wind and solar energy sources are the norm. "I figured why not experiment with wind and see where it goes? I think there's more flexibility there, and although it doesn't generate as much, you don't know where it will go." "We have to start stepping up to the plate on this micro-scale," he added. "This resource that we use is finite." For the average household, a $5,000 system would pay for itself in eight to 11 years, depending on the price of conventional energy, Pelman said. San Francisco officials are publicizing their push to harness as much wind and sun -- and even tidal -- power as possible in a bid to reduce carbon emissions and become known as the most eco-friendly city in the United States. Last week, Mayor Gavin Newsom announced the third city-supported study of tidal power in two years and the Board of Supervisors approved measures requiring that 51 percent of San Francisco's power come from renewable sources by 2017. Next year, the city's Public Utilities Commission plans to break ground on a 12-story headquarters using wind and solar power to satisfy nearly all of its energy needs. But while solar has been used in urban and suburban environments for decades, wind power is less proven. Renewable energy designer Reinhold Ziegler, who is working on the PUC building and who helped develop the Altamont Pass project, argues that in cities, wind power may be better suited for commercial buildings, which reach higher into dependable wind streams and have more surface area for turbines. "There's so much turbulence and obstruction in San Francisco, it's unclear how these (residential turbines) will work," Ziegler said. Clearly, wind turbines won't work in every neighborhood. In fact, Pelman received a call from a would-be customer in the Mission District, but there wasn't enough wind to make it feasible. "There's not going to be hundreds of megawatts of small wind coming out of San Francisco," said Johanna Partin, renewable energy program manager for San Francisco's Department of Environment. "But if it does become affordable for building owners and allow them to offset their entire electricity usage, it's a good thing." San Francisco's topography, which helps create the gusts and microclimates Pelman and others so covet, also creates its well-known views. That means clearing planning and building hurdles and overcoming any neighborhood opposition. Pelman worked closely for more than a year with his neighbors, his city supervisor and planning officials to win approval for his turbine in Bernal Heights, which has among the strictest rules on height requirements. Although Pelman points to the "visual noise" of satellite dishes, chimneys, vents and antennas, it is clear that until specific codes governing turbines are written, wind turbines and their impacts will have to be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. Pelman and the Audubon Society are also monitoring his turbine to see whether it kills any birds (there have been none so far). Pelman said the vertical axis and opaque appearance of his turbine are safer for birds than traditional turbines. Building a business, building a market, building community support are just some of the challenges Pelman faces. He acknowledges the rise and fall of the renewable- energy revolution after the 1970s oil crisis. But his sense as a businessman, a power engineer and a consumer tell him that this time, it's different. "There's certainly the possibility that it's a trendy thing, especially if energy prices stay low and go dormant," he said. "But the reality is it's undeniable that the way we conventionally make and use electricity and our relationship with energy are not sustainable. In the end we have no choice," he said. "I know our efforts have an impact in opening this market up. The extent of that impact will have to be determined, but we have to try." E-mail Kelly Zito at kzito@sfchronicle.com.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/06/24/BUG3OQK6MJ1.DTL
This article appeared on page C - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle
Todd Pelman shows how the turbine on his roof works. His startup, Blue Green Pacific, makes the units for individual homes. Chronicle photo by Kurt Rogers
Generating energy from your rooftop. Chronicle graphic
