Residents striving for self-sufficiency

Residents striving for self-sufficiency
North County Staff
Saratoga family to harness wind and solar power
Lance Madigan

Wind power is becoming more and more common as a source of clean energy throughout the state, and one resident in Saratoga Springs has received approval to join the bandwagon.

"I am in a position where I have a large enough lot; I would like to do this," said Joe Galloway. "I have been looking at it for several years. I also intend to put in some solar panels too."
Joe and Gloria Galloway submitted a request and received approval from the City Council on Nov. 11 to erect a wind turbine on their one-acre property. The turbine pole will stand 33 feet tall, and the 8- to 10-inch blades will extend another six feet.

Galloway said the turbine would generate 1.8 kilowatts of electricity when running at full power.

"It will probably produce a third or better of the electricity that the home will use in a year, based on the winds we get through here," he said.

Since electricity generated cannot be stored efficiently, the Galloway's will also be able to contribute to the system.

"Rocky Mountain Power by law is required to put in a special meter," said Galloway. "When [the turbine] is generating electricity, it can be sold back into the grid. So basically that meter turns backwards when we are pumping more electricity out then we are using. The excess is all utilized; it is not wasted."

The City Council not only unanimously approved the conditional-use permit, but also complimented the Galloways for their efforts.

"I am very much in favor of this," said Mayor Timothy Parker. "They won't let me put one in in my subdivision -- it is against CCNR's."

The mayor actually encouraged the Planning Department staff to start looking at regulations so conditional-use permits wouldn't be necessary.

"I am in favor of these types of things as well," added Denise Kelly, City Council member. "These are the wave of the future. We want to be careful of where they are placed, of course, but I would like to see the day when the city can offer incentives for this type of thing."

Galloway said he wasn't doing it for incentives or for cost-savings so much, since the unit would cost between $10,000-12,000 to install.

"I like to be as self-sufficient as I can. And with the economic situation the way that it is, and President-Elect Obama's several statements about breaking some of the coal companies that produce our electricity, that is a concern," said Galloway. "Also, because we are so isolated out here, if we do have a disaster, we are really isolated and cut off."

He said there would be some savings with selling excess power and harnessing his own energy, but his main interest isn't the savings.

"My interest is not so much in the savings as it is in the self-sufficiency and providing some other alternative for out here in case of disaster," he said.

Besides providing electricity in an emergency, Galloway explained that many individuals had wells to provide water.

"Council member Poduska lives about two miles from me to the north," he said. "People like him who are on a well, if they have no power, they have no water. By charging several batteries using the wind turbine, we can use a converter to pump up enough water to fill his tanks. ... And it is a good source of water to supply to the community in case of an emergency."

The only concerns raised were potential noise and the blocking of views. Currently, there is limited development around the Galloway's property so it could potentially obscure the view of one neighbor.

Galloway said he and the neighbor talked, and came to an understanding that when the subdivision is developed across the street on Redwood Road, views wouldn't be an issue anyway.

Galloway said they hoped to have the cement for the foundation put in this week, and unit raised and generating power within the next two weeks.

As for noise, Galloway said, "It isn't any louder than the wind blowing through the trees. There are no gears clanking around in this thing. The head is one large generator. You essentially have a rotor turning in a magnetic field."