It’s a bird, it’s a plane…no, it’s rooftop wind turbines

It’s a bird, it’s a plane…no, it’s rooftop wind turbines

1/11/2008
by Richard Thomas

(Photo: Wind Turbines by AeroVironment Inc. on the Staples Fulfillment Center in Ontario, CA.)

This month St. Louis County will add wind power to the Government Services Building at 320 W. 2nd St. in Duluth.

AeroVironment Inc., based in Monrovia, CA, will provide the micro turbines. It is one of a handful of companies nationwide that build small rooftop windmills for urban and suburban settings.

The St. Louis County pilot project uses six turbines, each six feet in diameter and producing an output of one thousand watts. They will perch on the east edge of the rooftop to catch wind off Lake Superior.

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The county hopes the turbines will shave costs from its $11,000-$12,000 per month electric bill. If it doesn’t produce results in the first year, the county has the option to move it to another county building, such as in Pike Lake or Hibbing, where it may be more productive, said St. Louis County property management director Tony Mancuso.

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