Higher power

st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; mso-ascii- mso-ascii-theme- mso-fareast- mso-fareast-theme- mso-hansi- mso-hansi-theme- mso-bidi- mso-bidi-theme-} You could call it the million-dollar baby. Advocates hope it will grow into an economic giant.

The “baby” is a prototype wind machine whirling atop a building in downtown Poughkeepsie that was awarded a $1 million grant from New York state, which  officials from AeroCity L.L.C. hope will finance production of turbines in Kingston, perhaps as soon as next year.

The award is from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and was announced Oct. 15 at a ceremony held in Poughkeepsie.

“Many building owners have contacted us over the past year, expressing their interest in purchasing Aerotecture turbines,” said Bill Jacoby, president and CEO of AeroCity L.L.C., which has a license to test the prototype wind machine and bring it to market on the East Coast. “We are preparing for our first manufacturing run of demonstration models to meet orders received by December 15.”

The machine is not a traditional wind mill, but has blades intertwined like a DNA strand that spin vertically, a configuration that is safer and more efficient at lower wind speeds and within the air turbulence of crowded cities.

The basic AeroCity unit will have a rated capacity of 1.5 kW. Multiple units can be linked together to provide supplemental power. The units are also highly compatible with solar panels. Installations normally will require an elevation of at least five stories above the ground. Units can be placed in horizontal rows or stacked vertically, and can also work when suspended ”“ as from a bridge.

Jacoby said he had contacted officials with the Walkway over the Hudson project, saying the 212-foot-high structure spanning the Hudson River from Poughkeepsie to Highland would be an ideal venue for wind machines. (The bridge is slated to become a public park next September.)             

But that prospect is only one of several promising potential business breakthroughs for the company. Jacoby also announced that the firm has entered into an agreement with Tencer and Solomon L.L.C. to help provide guidance in financing the endeavor. “This is a major step forward for AeroCity,” said Jacoby. “Tencer & Solomon brings strategic, tactical and operational planning, along with assistance in reaching potential investors.” He said Tencer is already in advanced discussions with several investment groups on AeroCity”™s behalf.

The machine attached to the roof of the building at Mill Street and Catherine Street is a test in progress to see how much power it can produce on a typical building in Poughkeepsie. Another version under development is expected to generate up to 2 kilowatts. The current turbine turns at winds just over 5 miles per hour.

In contrast to most propeller-driven generators that require transmission lines to bring power from wind farms, the AeroCity design will deliver energy directly to the building on which it is mounted, rather than sending it to the grid. This means that the turbine need only compete with the retail price of power (currently over 20 cents per kilowatt hour in New York City) rather than with the wholesale price (closer to five cents); and it can offer the building owner assurance against price increases for the life of the turbine. 

Multiple arrays could be part of an energy plan called distributed generation, in which individual buildings have wind and solar capacity that supplies some or all of the power that structure needs. Distributed generation is touted as a way of reducing strain on the existing power plants especially during peak loads. It would also reduce the need for additional plants or infrastructure such as transmission lines.