Wind generates power for couple for 25 years
A story by Barbara Mahler in the Fond du Lac Reporter tells of the wind-generation experience of a farm couple in Auburndale, Wisconsin:
Twenty-five years ago, area farmer Francis Cherney and his wife, Beverly, answered an ad in the local shopper that offered wind generators. They traveled to Athens to discuss the advantages of this equipment and purchased one.
Their installation is a 17-kilowatt generator mounted atop a 100-foot tripod steel tower. The legs of the tower are set six feet into the ground. The generator is designed in a vertical configuration and weighs one ton. More modern units are lighter, and generators now usually are in line with the rotor. They are available in a variety of sizes and capacities.
Like all machines with moving parts, the Cherney generator requires semiannual service entailing an oil change and lubrication. A trained technician scales the tower to perform this work on the unit. On occasions, more involved service is needed, and a crane must be brought in to lower the unit to the ground for work.
Cherney faithfully has kept weekly records of the amount of electricity generated. Every Thursday, he reads the meter and records the power provided by his setup. Those numbers consistently are highest in the spring and fall months. He has generated $800 worth of power so far in 2006, and his greatest savings have come in recent years with the increasing cost of electricity.
