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small wind Success StoriesCase Studies Minnesota Wind Enthusiast Fullfills Childhood Dreams
Corey Babcock of Lewiston, Minnesota, had always been interested in electricity. “I remember tinkering with batteries as a kid,” he recalled. His uncle had one of the early wind-electricity generator chargers that were in vogue among farmers in the 1920’s and 1930’s and typically used to charge batteries to run radios. His childhood investigations peaked his interest in wind power. Since the local technical college offered a wind maintenance degree, Babcock seriously considered the wind power business as a career. “They canceled the wind program Babcock took down the 1.5 kW Enertech machine in 2002 and replaced it with a new 10 kW Bergey Excel small wind turbine. “I had to work on the Enertech about once a week. The Bergey machine went up about a year ago and I haven’t had to touch it since!” said Corey. Despite the fact that he is only 23 years old, Babcock has now jumped into the business of selling small wind turbines. The first customer of his new company, called Midwest Wind Electric, installed a 20 kW Jacobs small wind turbine. His client initially “had some issues with his local utility, but now that the machine is up and running, the owner is grinning ear-to-ear,” said Babcock. Unlike some other states, Minnesota counties have taken a wind-friendly stance. “Almost everyone I’ve talked to has been very cooperative and even excited about wind power,” commented Babcock. “Permitting the small wind turbines has not been much of a problem so far. Why should it be? When you think about it, a small wind turbine is not anything different than a silo or barn. It is just another structure,” he concluded. Corey Babcock advocates wind and solar hybrids. “In Minnesota, things get pretty calm when it comes to wind in the summer, but that’s also the time when it’s the sunniest. We get our best winds in the winter and spring. The wind also picks up a bit in fall, too.” Because of these seasonal patterns, Babcock believes wind/solar hybrids can offer many Minnesotans an opportunity to generate virtually all of their power from renewable sources. For Babcock, this knowledge is nothing new, it’s been with him since his childhood.
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