Wind power generates controversy in Utah County

PAYSON — Guy and Beth Nelson thought they were going to cut their power bill when they installed a windmill on their Canyon Cove Drive property.

But since the turbine went up last October, so have their power bills. They haven't received a credit for generating excess power that supposedly goes back into the grid, and Beth Nelson wonders if the new reversible meter the city installed is actually being sped up, instead of reversing, when the canyon winds blow.

Such is not the case, according to Brian Stevenson, Payson's power plant superintendent.

"It's because there's not very much wind where they put it," Stevenson said.

Though city officials haven't surveyed wind at the Nelsons' home, they've done studies farther up the canyon where the winds are brisker and determined a city-owned, power-generating windmill wasn't feasible.

Steve Painter, who sells Skystream windmills for Southwest Windpower, based in Flagstaff, Ariz., disagrees. Painter intends to run tests for a month on the Nelsons' windmill to see if he can discover other problems. The blades are turning, he said, so it should be generating power, and the software program that comes with it shows that it is.

Meanwhile, Troy Wright of Genola has seen his power costs drop dramatically since installing a windmill three years ago. Wright credits his turbine for shaving about $100 a month off his Rocky Mountain Power bill.

"It serves about 40 (percent) to 50 percent of our needs," he said. "I'll probably get another one in a year."

Before Wright could install the windmill, the Genola Town Council had to write an ordinance to regulate wind turbines. The power generated goes directly into his house. During low-usage periods, or when the wind blows excessively, unused power goes into the grid, and the Wrights get a credit on their power bill.

Wright monitors the power generation his windmill produces over the Internet and can tell when he's selling electricity back to Rocky Mountain Power.

"I average 1,200 kilowatt hours a month and have sold back about 300 kilowatt hours in the last three years," he said.

Counting government incentives — including tax credits and rebates, which pay 50 percent to 75 percent of the cost of the turbine — Wright figures he'll have it paid off in five years. The turbines run about $14,000.

"I'll have another 20 years of service for nothing," he said.