News
FROM SYNERGY TO SAVINGS
By: April Wilkerson The Journal Record, Jan 16, 2010
OKLAHOMA CITY - An Oklahoma company is growing in the renewable-energy market with a hybrid product that gives its users new options in capturing and consuming energy.
Earth-Tech Energy Systems, based in Shawnee, offers a wind and solar hybrid system that is on the grid and net-meters, or sells back to the utility company. Owners David and Tammy Burgard say the characteristics of their system make it the only such product in the country. They have sold 10 systems over the last year, their first year to sell, and expect more people to latch onto their approach to lowering utility bills.
"Our products are designed to meet Oklahoma's weather conditions," Tammy Burgard said. "There's a synergistic relationship between wind and solar given the seasons in Oklahoma. When we have sun, we don't have a lot of wind in the summer. When we have a lot of wind in the fall, we may not have a lot of sun. This balances the systems out so you're always getting production from one or the other or, ideally, both."
The Burgards' system combines the controllers for both wind and solar, a proprietary process that David engineered.
"We're blending the high-voltage AC current of the wind with the low-voltage DC current of the solar to the same controller," Tammy said. "It allows customers to save the cost of inverters and controllers."
The system also is battery-based, which could help homeowners when a storm causes the grid electricity to go out. With renewable energy, homeowners aren't using the power they produce - they're still buying power from the grid. But with the Earth-Tech system, the power generated goes to the battery, so the homeowner is selling to the grid from the battery, Tammy said. When the grid goes down, the system disconnects and runs on the battery. Depending on usage, that battery could last a day-and-a-half in conservation mode, but indefinitely if it's still being charged. A generator also can be connected, and if the system goes out, the generator automatically starts up and charges the battery.
But the battery integration will really make a difference if Oklahoma moves to "time of day" metering, which pays different prices for consumption based on times of the day, Tammy said. She predicts that will happen in the next couple of years.
"When we go to 'time of day,' you can charge your batteries at night when the power is cheaper, then sell it off the battery during peak times when power is more expensive," she said. "That metering allows you to get paid at the rate that you would normally buy it. So if you are on a sliding scale, you get paid the higher rate. It speeds your payback on your wind turbine tremendously."
So far, the systems are for homeowners and businesses with a little elbow room - at least 1 acre. The wind turbines rise 40 to 60 feet in the air with a blade span of 13 to 20 feet, so there must be clearance in case it falls. The controller is installed inside the house, usually near the electric meter, Tammy said.
The Burgards, who got their start in the energy-efficiency world 20 years ago with homebuilding, said they're driven to help homeowners and business owners drop their utility bills to zero. Their entry into the renewable-energy market, which at first seemed poorly timed with the economic downturn, ended up a serendipitous launch.
"We came to market one month before the new federal incentives came out that gave homeowners a 30-percent tax credit on renewable energy," she said, "so we were in place and ready to sell."
The federal incentives are even better for business owners, Tammy said. Businesses can take the 30 percent as a cash grant, and rural companies can receive an additional 25 percent off, she said.
Costs for the systems range according to size of the turbine - $15,000 for the least expensive and $25,000 on the high end, a system that supplies all the power needed for a 2,500-square-foot home, she said. But it's the payback that is worthwhile, she said. The systems pay for themselves in an average of seven years and come with a 10-year warranty.
People also are in the mind-set of discovering how to save money when they hit retirement, Tammy said. That was the case with Herb and Connie Birth of Spencer, who started with a wind turbine last summer then added solar in November to complete the hybrid system. The Births also are the first such customers for Oklahoma Gas and Electric, they said.
After some hurdles in getting everything "on the grid," they are enjoying their investment, they said.
"We're both getting ready to retire, and I wanted to do something to cut down our energy costs, plus I had been doing stuff to go green," Herb said. "I think this is going to be something that everybody is going to end up going to, to conserve energy and get our costs down."
The Births were especially spurred to invest in renewable energy when they lost power after the state's last ice storm. They researched buying a generator to power the entire house, but it cost between $8,000 and $10,000, Connie said.
"So when we saw a system that combined solar and wind, with a generator too, we saw this as a way of investing our money because of the tax credits."
KFOR-TV - Wind Powered House
Original Article and accompanying video can be found at: KFOR-TV
Marika Lorraine 26.Aug.09
OKLAHOMA CITY -- When the turbine started going up Tuesday morning, Amy Wilson let out a squeal of delight. The Oklahoma City resident is going green, and hoping to save some green by placing a hybrid wind and solar power system at her house. Wilson says, "I've always been interested in the environment and to me this is just being part of the future."
The turbine is 60 feet tall and weighs more than 3,000 pounds. The system costs between $15,000 and $25,000 depending on the model.
Wilson says, "I hope to see three fourths of my electric bill go away, so that's certainly and incentive. But mostly it's the right thing to do."
It took almost a year to get the permits in place, set the foundations, and for the weather to be just right for installation. The company Wilson went with is new and local. Earth-Tech Energy Solutions is based in Shawnee.
Tammy Burgard and her husband own the company and say it takes at least a half-acre of land to put the system in.
Burgard says, "The city permit requirements are that if the turbine were to fall, it would have to be on your property so it would be 60 feet either direction."
The benefits come when the blades start turning. Burgard says, "It will pay for itself in full in about seven years. You are able to pull energy from the utility company when you need power. When you've got wind or sun it spins your meter backwards. It puts your power back into the utility company and the utility company pays you."
Wilson says her neighbors don't mind the new look to their skyline.
She says, "I think in Oklahoma we've put up with those ugly black oil wells for so long. This is like a soaring graceful thing in comparison." She's planning on adding the solar panels to her power plan sometime next year.
For more information on Earth-Tech Energy Solutions visit earthtechenergysystems.com
Local Couple Breaking Ground with Energy Efficient Homes
Lori Goat 18.JUN.09
In a world that focuses primarily on fossil fuels as its main source of energy, David and Tammy Burgard, owners of Earth-Tech Energy Systems, are dedicated to transforming the oil and gas mind-set into the mind-expanding universe of solar and wind power.
“We’re ranch people, living on the land. We believe strongly in conservation and a clean environment,” Tammy said. “I feel good everyday about being a part of the movement toward harnessing the wind and sun for our power sources.”
As fellow horse breeders, David, originally from Wisconsin, and Tammy, an Oregon girl, met and married in Oklahoma more than three years ago. Their mutual love of the horse and the land may have brought them together, but it was their lifetime of work experiences that brought their business together.
David owns Bridlewood Construction and has been constructing energy efficient homes since he built a log cabin with structurally insulated panels in 1988.
Tammy is a former vice president of a large environmental engineering firm where she was closely involved with the Environmental Protection Agency Super Fund.
One more ingredient was required for the perfect marriage of their ideals and experience – THE idea.
“A couple of years ago, when they really started selling the hybrid cars, I started thinking about designing a hybrid wind and solar system,” David said, “a system that did it all.”
Wind and solar energy systems, the storage and sell back or net metering of that power have been used sporadically for many years, but these systems operated independently from each other.
David designed a unique, complete, all-in-one system that captured the energy from the wind and sun, carried that energy into a home or business, combined, controlled, inverted and stored the energy in 8 high-powered DC batteries. He added the ability to operate the system “on grid,” “off grid,” or both.
“On grid” means the system is capable of net metering. Net metering is selling back or offsetting energy costs charged by electric companies.
In net metering, the electric meter on a home or business spins relentlessly forward, charging the consumer with each rotation. Wind and/or solar power is fed into the electric system, causing the forward spinning to slow until it reverses direction and spins backward, subtracting the electrical costs by selling the energy back to the electric company, at the same price it was purchased.
“It’s a great thing to see, your electric meter spinning backwards,” David said.
“Off grid” means the hybrid system operates and stores electricity independent of an electric company. As long as there is a breeze or sunlight, the batteries keep charging. And, with a total lack of wind or sun, the batteries will store energy for two days of selected electrical use.
“Oklahoma is generally supportive of net metering. OG&E and Canadian Valley have been on board but I had a customer in Muskogee whose electric company refused to cooperate, so he just went ‘off grid,’” David said.
The Earth-Tech Energy Systems hybrid is also self-controlling, which can be remotely monitored on the internet by Earth-Tech and the customer.
“The system controller allows the two (wind and solar) to talk to each other and be regulated to fit personal needs,” he said. “It’s very sophisticated equipment.”
The complete hybrid system doesn’t have to be purchased at the same time, either.
“It’s designed to be a plug and play system. You can start with a wind turbine then add solar or the other way around. You don’t even have to have both of them. Whatever works best for you,” David said.
The hybrid system isn’t exclusively for new construction. It can be retrofitted to existing buildings without the need to change wiring or appliances.
According to the Burgards, the individual hybrid system components are state-of-the-art.
“We use what we think is the best possible equipment in our system, like our three-phase, high voltage (wind) turbines. They are virtually maintenance-free, have three times the power, getting more power from lower wind speeds, and they’re much quieter than the turbines of the past,” Tammy said. “We warranty them for 10 years and guarantee they will pay for themselves before the warranty runs out.”
Since launching Earth-Tech Energy Systems in January, the Burgards have contracted 10 homes and two sub-developers in Texas have committed to using the complete Earth-Tech hybrid system, including Bridlewood Construction’s “Net Zero Home” concept.
The “Net Zero Home,” coined by Tammy, incorporates the complete wind and solar hybrid system with a high velocity HVAC system and structurally insulated panels that can withstand hurricane force winds and is resistant to fire.
The Burgards believe so much in their “Net Zero Home” concept, they are about 90 percent complete with building one for themselves. They have been able to live in the 2,700 square foot, total electric, two-story cedar home since December.
“Our first electric bill before we installed the hybrid system was $373,” Tammy said. “After the system was installed, it has dropped to $50, so far.”
The next energy efficient component to be installed In the Burgard home will be a solar hot water system.
“People have been talking about clean renewable energy sources for years, but no one hardly listened. I think they were sleepwalking until gas hit almost $5 a gallon,” Tammy said. “Now, they’re getting interested in saving money and the planet.”
Federal government tax incentives for alternative energy have improved. Businesses and homeowners are entitled to take a 30 percent tax credit on “green” renewable energy systems. Businesses also have the option to take a federal grant instead of the tax credit and they’re eligible to take accelerated depreciation up to 50 percent of the cost in the first year of the investment.
“It was sheer, dumb luck we started this process two years ago, brought it to market in January and a month later President Obama increased the tax incentives.” Tammy said. “Everything fell into place.”
The Burgards are disheartened over Oklahoma’s lack of a state tax credit for alternative renewable energy.
“Last year, there was House Bill 2247 that allowed for a credit but it disappeared,” David said.
Tammy said they had been in contact with state representatives about an Oklahoma tax credit for “green” energy.
“I know we’re a big oil and gas state but Oklahoma is ideal for the hybrid wind and solar system,” she said. “Either it’s windy or the sun is out, usually both.”
The Burgards’ Earth-Tech Energy Systems, “Energy from the Earth for the Earth,” is on the fast track into the future and the Shawnee couple looks forward to the cleaner, greener ride.
Original article found at County Wide News
USDA PROGRAM OFFERING BUCKS TO GO GREEN
By KEVIN LEWIS The Plainview Herald May 21, 2010
Mike Patrick is thinking about adding an office to his Sunshine Cleaning Service warehouse and possibly changing out lighting and heating and air conditioning systems to improve efficiency.
Jeff Black is investigating the possibility of adding a wind turbine to his Cotton Center farm to help reduce the electrical load it takes to power his barn and irrigation motors.
Patrick and Black were among a small handful of interested people on hand Thursday at the Fair Theatre to learn more about a U.S. Department of Agriculture program offering financial assistance - up to 75 percent of projected costs - to help rural small business owners and ag producers become greener by purchasing renewable energy systems or making energy efficiency improvements.
"This is good for individuals (because it saves them money), it's good for our country because it's saving energy and it's good for our economy," said Linda Brakebill, area director with USDA Rural Development of Lubbock. "It's a win-win situation."
Brakebill said she "can't believe people aren't beating down our doors" to apply for the millions of dollars in funding available through the Renewable Energy for America Program, or REAP.
The program provides up to 25 percent of project costs through energy-efficiency grants, up to a maximum of $250,000, and renewable energy grants, maxing out at $500,000. An additional 50 percent can be funded from a guaranteed loan of up to $25 million.
REAP projects should reduce energy consumption and decrease operating costs by reducing or eliminating the need to purchase energy from traditional sources. Funds can be used for construction or improvements, purchase and installation of equipment, and energy audits.
Projects don't have to be huge, said Todd Hebert, USDA Rural Development area specialist.
"They can be small, like replacement of light bulbs or adding insulation," he said.
Projects in the area already approved range from replacing light bulbs in a poultry barn to adding an awning outside a grocery store, Hebert said.
Funds from the program, which require an energy audit or assessment from a third party, also helped build a biodiesel plant that uses cottonseed in Seminole. Converting irrigation systems from gas to electric also is an acceptable project.
"It can be a wide variety of things, even some things we haven't thought of that you guys are working on," said Clyde Jenkins, USDA area specialist from Amarillo.
The grants are competitive, Brakebill pointed out, and are graded based on nine criteria. The most weight is placed on a technical merit report to determine the project's feasibility. Tied for second-highest weighted criteria are quantity of energy replaced, produced and/or saved, and viability of matching funds commitments.
Other criteria include environmental benefits, commercial availability and return on investment.
The USDA officials urged anyone thinking about making their small business greener to apply.
"If you're thinking about doing it any way, if you've got a chance to get part of it paid for, why not?" asked Brakebill.
They said anyone who applies should have "a pretty good shot" at being awarded funding.
"The longer you wait the more competitive it's going to be from year to year. There will be a growing demand," Brakebill said, adding that officials also don't know what the funding will be from year to year.
"If you're thinking about it," she said, "go for it."
To find out more about the program, contact USDA Rural Development in Lubbock by calling 806-785-5644, ext. 4.
