Posted:
March 13, 2008
Editor’s note: The following story by Hank Shaw appeared March 10 in Stockton’s The Record.
Lodi Assemblyman Alan Nakanishi wants to blow down any
roadblocks to installing a new, smaller breed of wind-energy turbines on
commercial buildings all over California.
The Legislature did this with solar a few years back when
Assemblywoman Lois Wolk, D-Davis, sponsored legislation aimed at fostering the
solar energy industry.
But solar energy doesn't mar the skyline, as some critics
say.
Nakanishi, a Republican, decided to sponsor his
legislation after talking with El Dorado Hills resident Paul Misso, who runs
Folsom-based Marquiss Wind Power. Marquiss, named after Amador County resident
Stanley Marquiss, who invented the new style of turbine, is beginning to market
19-foot-tall, boxy turbines intended to be mounted atop commercial and
industrial buildings.
In a windy area such as Tracy, each turbine can produce
up to 150 kilowatt-hours of energy per day -- not enough to power a business,
but enough to supplement its needs. The average household uses 10,000
kilowatt-hours of energy per year, according to the American Wind Energy
Association. Over the course of a year, each turbine could be expected to generate
the equivalent of five households' worth of power.
Two companies already have the turbines installed,
including the Teichert plant in Vernalis. Misso said he is planning to install
several in Stockton soon.
He says the legislation would be a boon to the nascent
wind-energy industry, which is expanding beyond the gigantic windmills that
line the Altamont Pass into smaller, nimbler forms such as the one Marquiss is
selling.
Installing the new style of turbines can be an arduous
process because securing the special permits for each set can take months,
Misso said. It also puts the wind industry at a competitive disadvantage
against the solar industry.
Misso said Wolk's legislation "effectively gave
solar a free pass to the rooftops. We're looking for the home run, to get the
free pass around the state, too. That would be a great result."
Nakanishi spokesman Jeff Hale said the legislation may
require tweaking to pass. Local government advocates are expected to take a dim
view of any restriction on their powers, and the critics of wind energy are
many.
The bird issue is one of the potential pitfalls: The
giant turbines along the Altamont Pass chop up birds at an alarming rate, a
problem that segment of the industry is spending millions each year to fix.
Misso says his turbines don't have the same problem. Not
one bird has flown into the unit at Teichert in Vernalis since it was installed
Nov. 14, Misso said. In addition, the company will install a fine mesh in front
of future units as an extra safety measure.
Misso said he is cautiously optimistic about Nakanishi's
legislation. Hale said, "It's a work in progress."
The bill, AB2830, is expected to be heard in committee
next month.