The Winchester Star, August 16, 2008
by Laura Oleniacz
Boyce — Virginia isn’t a thriving market for wind power yet, but interest in uses of alternative energy for private use is growing.
Ken Jurman, renewable-energy program manager at the state Department of Mines, Minerals, and Energy, said he is receiving more consumer inquiries about solar array installations for private use — and wind installations to a lesser extent — to help defray energy costs.
“People seem to want to do this,” he said. “They’re just trying to figure out how to pay for it.”
Jurman said that although the numbers may change daily, 114 solar electricity and six wind turbine installations had been installed across the state by the end of June.
The total capacity of those systems is 402 kilowatts, he said — not a great power source when compared to utility-scale wind turbines, which generally are several hundred feet tall.
One wind-powered electricity generation facility is planned in the state, proposed by Highland New Development LLC. It would have an estimated capacity of 38,000 kilowatts and would be placed in mountainous Highland County, Jurman said.
Construction has not started on the wind farm’s 18 to 20 units, each several hundred feet tall, but the State Corporation Commission granted conditional approval for the facility last December, according to a press release from the commission.
The increase in solar electricity installations can be attributed to the public’s wider knowledge about the industry, Jurman said, although the wind industry, particularly small windpower, is starting to share some of the limelight.
“There are more manufacturers popping up, and people are looking at options other than solar, especially in the windier parts of the state,” he said.
The installations are still expensive, he said, and no state incentives are offered to reduce the cost.
For solar electric systems, each installed watt of power costs $6 to $10.
To help with costs, federal incentives are available through the Tax Incentives Assistance Project, approved by Congress as part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, according to www.energytaxincentives.org.
Some of the tax incentives expired in 2007, and incentives for efficient new homes and commercial buildings expire at the end of this year.
Incentives for energy-efficient passenger vehicles and trucks extend until 2010, according to the Web site.
— Contact Laura Oleniacz at
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