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Morrison County Record
Marshik farm becomes a Tina Snell Clare and Dean Marshik recently erected a Jacobs Wind Turbine System on their dairy farm for the purpose of generating green energy. "I have been saying for a long time we need to utilize all the wind we get on the farm," said Clare. "This has been a six-year process. We are doing this not only to offset our electric bill, but I feel everyone needs to do their part to make it (the world) better. "This is taking farming back to the old days when people used windmills to pump water and run farm equipment," said Clare. One option available to the Marshiks was to store the generated energy in batteries. Another option was to use the electricity immediately with the excess being sold to the utility company. The last option included selling the generated energy back to Minnesota Power and Light (MPL) and purchase the energy needed to run the farm from the same utility company. The couple chose the second option. "We use what we can from what is generated by the wind turbine," said Clare. "If there is any excess electricity, it will be sold to the utility company. On some days, we have generated more than we need. On others, not enough; it all depends on the wind. We have not received a bill from MPL as yet, so we don't know what it will look like or how the turbine will affect our electricity costs. "The state of Minnesota sets an average price power companies must pay those who produce electricity from wind, if it is under 40 kw," said Clare. "That amount is determined by taking the average cost of electricity from all the communities in the state. If more than 40 kw are generated, the producer is deemed commercial and gets paid less than the average." The wind turbine on the Marshik farm can produce 20 kw at any given time, depending on the wind. Annually, 20,000 kw is possible. Clare said the kw output of the turbine is a measure of how fast it's producing energy. "Every kw of produced energy equals one kilowatt hour (kwh) of electricity," she said. The turbine began working on the Marshik dairy farm, located between Genola and Buckman, Dec. 18, 2007. Due to a capacitor overload, the turbine was down for 10 days. As of Jan. 8, the turbine had been running for 11 days and had generated 710 kw of energy. That is about 65 kw of energy a day. Clare said that on one windy day, the turbine produced 200 kw. On another day, there was very little electricity produced due to no wind. The Marshiks were given a chart that explains if a 10 mile per hour (mph) wind blows for a year, there will be 10,468 kw produced. The same chart tells them if an 18 mph wind is sustained, it will generate 38,073 kw annually. "It is unrealistic to think wind will sustain a certain speed for any length of time," said Clare. "We don't anticipate the cost of the energy use of the farm to be covered by what we generate. But, we do hope it will make a difference. "By going green, we are helping the future generations," said Clare. "It has generated interest from those driving by. They will stop and say, 'I've always thought it would be a good idea...'" The turbine on the Marshik farm is 125 feet tall and has a base of 13 feet on each of three sides. The higher a turbine sits, the more energy it will produce. "Our farm is on one of the highest points in Morrison County," said Clare. "There is not much interference to the wind flow. In fact, we sit on the edge of a large basin which helps the wind gain strength before it reaches us. We are in a perfect location." The entire process to erect the turbine consisted of Winkle-man's Environmentally Responsible Construction (WERC), located just south of Brainerd, doing a site planning for the erection of the wind turbine on the Marshik's dairy farm, along with its construction. WERC gave Dean and Clare several options on where to place the turbine. The final decision was made to place it near the farm's outbuildings. There would have been better wind if the structure was placed in a field, but the cost to run the power lines would have increased. There are safety nets in place in case of too much wind, or a power outage, within the grid. When the wind is too strong, the turbine will adjust itself by furling (turning) the blades. That will decrease the wind's effect on them. Too much wind may cause damage to the turbine. If there is a power outage from the utility company, the system shuts down, stopping the energy production. Without this safety feature, electricians working on the lines, assuming there is no live electricity running through the lines, may sustain serious injury. "We recommend about one acre of land around the turbine," said David Winkleman of WERC. "This serves as a fall zone. If service work is needed, two of the three legs are hinged and the tower can be dropped. "Another reason for so much space is because of ice loading," he said. "This occurs when ice forms on the tower. When the weather warms and the ice is blown off, or shed, it is good not to have many windows nearby. Our towers are built to withstand 3/4 inch ice build-up and 90 miles per hour gusts of wind for three seconds." "If this works," said Clare, "we may consider other sources of alternative energy, such as more wind energy or solar energy." For more information on wind turbines, call Clare and Dean Marshik at (320) 468-2524 or WERC at (218) 764-2321. © Morrison County Record | All Rights Reserved |
