HOG harnesses wind’s energy-Unique windmill could revolutionize alternative energy operations

SUN RIVER — When Doug Alexander first conceived the idea for his company, he simply wanted to build efficient windmills for individual farming families.

By BETH BRITTON
Tribune Business Editor

Today, the 55-year-old owner of Energy Transfer Corp. http://www.energytransfercorporation.com has set his sights on larger targets.

Working with Jim Helfrich, the product engineer with Sun River’s Technical Solutions International http://www.tsimontana.com/ Alexander has for the past two years tested a new windmill design that he says may revolutionize the way rural farming operations and businesses operate.

The men say wind power is in its infancy, and they intend to help the baby grow.

"I’m just an average guy with an above average interest in renewable energy," Alexander said. His main interest? Montana’s gusts.

And his design is a far cry from conventional windmills. There isn’t a propeller blade in sight. In fact, Alexander’s design, which Helfrich’s company manufactures, is closer in appearance to a carousel for giants.

Twenty-six feet tall, and 61 feet in diameter, the High Output Generator (HOG) turns horizontally, and eight-foot by 16-foot panels catch the wind. Unlike conventional windmills, the HOG sits close to the ground.

"We don’t need to be tall to be effective," Helfrich said. "This is a drag device, and it doesn’t care if wind comes from different directions because all the doors work individually."

Testing the concept

Arriving at the final design took years, Alexander said. Today, patents are pending.

"I built dozens of models in my basement and used a hairdryer to test them," he said with a chuckle.

Once he thought his design was complete, he approached Helfrich, who manufactured the test models. Technical Solutions International has been around for about six years, specializing in welding, fabrication, powder coat painting, design, development and electronics capabilities — much of it ag-related. The company developed a grain yield monitor, a flow meter for ground crops and a self-cleaning moisture sensor.

Since joining forces, the men have built 10 full-size HOG models, testing those models and making slight modifications every step of the way.

One of the first HOGs was put to the test on the Anderson farm near Power.

"It’s an exciting deal, what something like this could do for remote areas," said Jerry Anderson, who is a firefighter in Great Falls. "I thought I could have my own energy generator."

While it was up, the HOG garnered attention from both passing motorists and helicopters and airplanes overhead, he said. And although that original design — positioned on a center pivot that was not strong enough to handle the weight of the swinging doors — has been changed, Anderson said someday he would like to take advantage of the strong winds on his property.

"That testing was vital; we couldn’t have done (the new model) without going through all of that," Helfrich said. They plan to install the new HOG somewhere on the Hi-Line in the next six weeks.

It’ll take a lot more than a hairdryer to move all 30,000 pounds of steel. Surprisingly, however, the HOG requires winds as light as 8 mph to generate usable electricity, Helfrich said.

"Every time the wind speed doubles, we get eight times more electricity," he said.

Green, affordable energy

The HOG produces renewable and environmentally friendly energy, and the design also is bird-friendly because the HOG doesn’t pick up the speed that blades do, Alexander said.

The partners are banking on the new design as being more efficient and practical for rural businesses, small clusters of private homes — even Hutterite colonies.

"What we found out is that it’s just as expensive to build a machine for one family as one for commercial use," Alexander said.

The HOG starts at about $77,000, and the units typically pay for themselves within thee years, the men said.

Incentives exist for farmers and ranchers who want to pursue wind energy on their property.

The 2002 Farm Bill created a new program — the renewable energy systems and energy efficiency improvements grant program — to help producers pay for renewable energy systems, said John Guthmiller of the USDA Rural Business Cooperative Service in Bozeman. The program provides up to 25 percent for projects in areas including solar, wind and ethanol, he said.

"We’re encouraging farmers, ranchers and rural businesses — large energy users — to develop their own energy source," Guthmiller said.

The deadline to sign up for the program this year is June 6. For information or an application, call Guthmiller at (406) 585-2549.

The program requires users to perform a feasibility study and negotiate with their individual utility to put an interconnectivity agreement in place, Guthmiller added.

Glacier Electric Co-op General Manager Jasen Bronec said his business, like other utilities, supports the development of renewable energy.

There is more interest in wind power today, Bronec said. Currently, Glacier Electric works with three wind-power sites — all on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation.

The mission, he said, is to avoid any adverse effect on other members’ service and to protect the safety of the linemen.

"We make sure that the person who wants to do an interconnection is educated. If they want to self-generate and be isolated from our system, they can do whatever they want to do, but they have to live by our rules when they want to interconnect with our electric grid," Bronec said.

Wind power can provide farmers and ranchers with a substantial income courtesy of the air above their land. The Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 requires utilities to purchase excess energy produced by its customers, he added.

State interest

Secretary of State Bob Brown is so interested in the potential of wind power in Montana that he has organized a three-day bus tour for people interested in learning more. The tour also will examine biofuel energy. The May 1-3 "Energy from the Farm" tour will visit various sites, including the Foote Creek Wind Production Facility in southeastern Wyoming.

"I think it’s just extremely exciting; I think it promises wonderful hope for the future," Brown said of wind power. "It’s clean energy on a large scale."

The Treasure State is the fifth-windiest state in the country, he said.

"It makes sense for the country’s economic and national security to become less dependent on foreign sources of energy," he said. "I think it’s important that people better understand the potential of what we have in Montana. We have enormous potential to provide energy for the country, and I’m trying to draw attention to that."

That sounds great to Alexander and Helfrich. Energy Transfer Corp.’s Web site attracts up to 100 hits a day, and there has been interest from as far away as the Caribbean and the Midwest — especially for commercial greenhouses. As demand grows, the men say they will advertise and seek additional manufacturers.

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