CHANGE MY LOCATION
Local
Multimedia News
Rooftop turbines taking root
SEE THE LATEST ON THIS STORY
Related Topics: SAN FRANCISCO
Wind turbines have been installed at the Randall Museum, on Treasure Island and on an environmentally friendly “Idea House” in the Mission, said Johanna Partin, the renewable energy program manager for The City’s Department of Environment.
Additionally, the alternative energy turbines have been proposed for the roof of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission headquarters planned near City Hall, Partin said.
Energy entrepreneur Todd Pelman installed his company’s prototype turbine on his Bernal Heights rooftop in February 2007, and in January he added two 6-foot turbines above a residential garage in the Castro. He says he’s getting ready to add turbines on the Bayview warehouse where his startup company leases space.
Flight attendant Chris Beaudoin said he has already spent $5,500 to install the two turbines above his Castro garage and plans to spend another $12,000 on them. He expects to cut his electricity bill by 10 percent to 15 percent once the “kinetic sculptures” are fully operational, he said.
San Francisco is a productive place to nurture the development of appliance-sized wind turbines, which lack the noisy spinning blades common to larger turbines that can prove deadly to birds, Pelman said.
Comments from Examiner Readers
3:28 AM MST on Mon., May. 19, 2008 re: "With eye on future, Md. goes green despite tight budget"
Report as inappropriate
Clean_Burning said:
In the world of alternative fuel vehicles, those that use compressed Natural Gas often are muscled out of a conversation dominated by gasoline-electric hybrids, biodiesel and hydrogen fuel cells. Natural Gas is becoming increasingly popular as an alternative to conventional fuels (gasoline, diesel). The main reason: natural gas burns with very low emissions. When compared to diesel, the California Energy Commission found that Natural Gas produced up to 23% lower emissions, it reduces Nox by 50% and Particulate Matter by 70%. Natural gas costs, on average, one-third less than conventional gasoline at the pump. (Utah has the cheapest rate at $.63/gallon) Moreover, there are over 150,000 NGVs on U.S. roads today and over 5 million worldwide. Natural gas is the practical bridge to sustainable energy. It's here: 98% of it is in North America. It's now: reserves point to at least a 60-year supply, according to the Natural Gas Supply Association. So what are we waiting for?
4 agree | 3 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree