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small wind Success StoriesCase Studies Illinois Farmer Can’t Stop at Just One Turbine
Ashton, IL – Jim Kohlert loved his Southwest Windpower Whisper 1000 so much that he added a second Whisper on his 3-acre farm in Ashton, Illinois. “Since I moved out here in 1995, I kept thinking to myself: ‘Boy is it windy,’” says Kohlert. “I got into wind power as a hobby, a fun project to give me something to do. I always had a dream about building my own wind turbine. Then, as I got older, I began to change my way of thinking. Why not just buy one?” Kohlert wanted his small wind turbine to blend in with the rustic character of rural Illinois. He placed his first machine on top of a 50-foot tower he salvaged from an old wind water pumper he found lying on the ground a few miles from his home. Nine months later, in February, 2003, Kohlert went further, adding a Southwest Windpower Whisper 3000 on a 65-foot tower next to his first wind generator. He isn’t sure how much the two turbines have reduced his electricity costs because he keeps adding new electricity loads (such as a hot tub), has incorporated energy efficiency measures such as better light bulbs, and has added a solar photovoltaic array. Kohlert estimates that his 4 kW of wind and 3.6 kW of solar generation reduce his electricity costs by half. Interestingly enough, Kohlert has discovered that the larger, 3-kW Whisper 3000 cranks out about 10 times as much electricity as the 1-kW Whisper 1000 in low wind speeds. The smaller Whisper doesn’t pick up momentum until wind speeds get up to 13 to 15 mph, he notes. Kohlert says his turbines have received no complaints from the local community. “My neighbors love it, love watching it, and love renewable energy,” he says. His experience with the Southwest Windpower machines may prompt Kohlert to do a little backyard tinkering. “In the back of my mind, I keep designing a wind turbine just for the heck of it. I now have quite a bit of general knowledge about how these machines work. I may give a vertical axis turbine a shot, a design that seems to be giving everyone else so much trouble.”
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