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22-foot WindCube designed to produce clean power on rooftops
By Paula Schleis
Beacon Journal business writer
Published on Monday, May 04, 2009
It's been three years and $1.5 million in the making, but the creators of a new wind turbine say they are ready for their product to take the world by storm.
Green Energy Technologies in Bath Township will officially launch its WindCube at the WindPower 2009 industry trade show in Chicago today.
Unlike the towering turbines built for utility wind farms, the 22-foot-tall WindCube can be mounted on a rooftop to supply energy to a single commercial or industrial site.
''It's the smallest footprint with the most amount of power in the entire wind industry,'' said Green Energy chief Mark L. Cironi.
The 60 kW WindCube, primarily invented by John Fedor of Eastlake, will be manufactured in Ohio.
Parker-Hannifin Corp. in Cleveland will produce the generator and electrical system. Roth Brothers Inc. of Youngstown will fabricate a patented shroud as well as handle installation and remote monitoring. Other area manufacturers are making the blades and the bearings.
Paul Belair, an Akron native and president of Roth, said he expects to hire 100 or more employees by the end of the year to handle expected orders. Roth currently employs about 600.
Cironi said a key to the WindCube's success is its ability to amplify the available wind. The turbine uses a shroud that funnels the wind into the blades, doubling the wind speed and producing eight times more power than a device without the shroud.
Wind drives the rotation of five blades, which connect to an electrical generator that produces alternating current. The system is tied into a building's electrical meter, reducing the amount of power needed from traditional utility grids.
The WindCube costs between $250,000 and $300,000, depending on installation needs, but in Ohio, about 70 percent of that cost is returned through state and federal tax credits and incentives.
The remaining cost will pay itself back in two to three years, Cironi said. A single WindCube produces enough energy in a 13 mph wind to power 18 homes annually, although the product is not meant for single residential use.
Commercial and industrial buildings, particularly in urban settings, are a primary target, Cironi said. Green Energy is also promoting the noiseless WindCube to vacation resorts, especially on islands, where energy can cost five times more than on the mainland.
Cironi, who grew up in Alliance and lives in Fairlawn, said Northeast Ohio is the perfect location for the enterprise.
An American Wind and Energy study found Ohio was No. 2 in skilled labor that could be transferred to the wind industry, so he's confident that Green Energy and its suppliers will be able to grow as needed.
The $1.5 million price tag to get the product developed came from about 25 friends and family, Cironi said. The first WindCube was recently installed at the Lake Erie Business Park in Port Clinton.
Another $2 million has been raised for the commercialization phase, led by an equity investment from Roth.
Roth, which is already providing energy management for customers across the country, has also been helping to line up initial buyers.
''With the federal and state incentives, and with the push to have a renewable source, there's not one customer that we've talked to so far that isn't considering putting one in to see how it works,'' Belair said.
Cironi said Green Energy doesn't have any competitors, and he's been receiving calls from companies all over the world.
''We are really in a niche market,'' he said.
Paula Schleis can be reached at 330-996-3741 or pschleis@thebeaconjournal.com.
It's been three years and $1.5 million in the making, but the creators of a new wind turbine say they are ready for their product to take the world by storm.
Get the full article here.
Comments
Click here to post your comments
Akron, OH
Posted 07:13 AM, 05/04/2009
Hmm... sounds like a Socialist conspiracy to me.
Harnessing wind? C'mon! It's un-American not to burn SOMETHING to make energy.
Posted 07:20 AM, 05/04/2009
goodrich missed the boat again!
Posted 07:41 AM, 05/04/2009
Sounds like a good idea. But the photo doesn't show the capability of the unit to adjust to wind direction. But that is a minor detail that money can solve.
Copley, OH
Posted 07:44 AM, 05/04/2009
What a crock. Buyer beware.
Fool me once. Shame on you.
Fool me twice. Shame on me.
Akron, , OH
Posted 08:39 AM, 05/04/2009
Don: CEO,Dave Burner stuck it to Goodrich!!!!
As for the turbine who wouldn't want to cut out the utility companies!
Electric for Heat, goodbye EAST OH Gas and the redundant charges!!!
Akron, Oh
Posted 09:42 AM, 05/04/2009
If companies use this devise to save electric cost, then who will make up for the lost profits of First Energy? Guess we have to wait for the home version to go on sale at the Walmart.
Akron (west), OH
Posted 10:11 AM, 05/04/2009
This is this coolest thing I have ever seen.
uniontown, oh
Posted 10:13 AM, 05/04/2009
Perhaps Obama Motors could have cars built with these dudes strapped on top.
As we drive down the road we would then power the wind turbine that would in turn run that lawnmower he and the green earth whackos want us to drive to and from work.
For an added hybrid feature they could fasten a sail atop that bad boy so as to catch the wind that the turbine produces and further save on carbon footprints.
akron, OH
Posted 12:16 PM, 05/04/2009
@Nathan, Roth is a First Energy company, so clearly FE is deliberately trying to help big companies save more so that you'll have to pay more. BTW, I think your foil hat might have slipped off.
Posted 01:00 PM, 05/04/2009
@Nathan,Do not worry how they come up with raising your rates.They will do that, with out a wind turbine.
Akron, Oh
Posted 01:54 PM, 05/04/2009
One thing for sure.....it is gonna blow.
Ravenna, OH
Posted 02:35 PM, 05/04/2009
This article is not accurate. It's happened two times before when Hilliary and Obamination were campaigning on Ohio.
Akron, Oh
Posted 02:49 PM, 05/04/2009
what about the birds....the agony of it all
Tallmadge, OHIO
Posted 03:44 PM, 05/04/2009
Go, Minna!!!!
Tallmadge, OHIO
Posted 03:47 PM, 05/04/2009
@Fat Pancho the Painter: Was there something humorous hiding in there? It did a good job. Help us all out.....
Posted 05:33 PM, 05/04/2009
How ugly! I would hate to see even one of these on the horizon, let alone hundreds of them. Kill this monster in its infancy!
kent, oh
Posted 05:38 PM, 05/04/2009
Morons untied!
Canton, OH
Posted 06:10 PM, 05/04/2009
" THE NATION THAT CONTROLS MAGNETISM WILL CONTROL THE WORLD ". . with apologies to the olde Dick Tracy Comic Strip. . .
Akron, OH
Posted 06:56 PM, 05/04/2009
Great news! Go NEO!
Posted 07:26 PM, 05/04/2009
Funny that people could be against clean energy, the me me me generation....i am an American and it's my birthright to pollute the earth for future Americans...skies filled with smoke are ok but not looking at something 22 feet tall...
akron, OH
Posted 11:59 PM, 05/04/2009
I think this thing rules, hope it works as advertised
Brown Twp., Oh
Posted 05:02 AM, 05/05/2009
If Akron needs wind for energy, their Mayor Don,
blows a lot of hot air, among other things.
Oldsmar, FL
Posted 09:18 AM, 05/05/2009
Wow......after reading these replies AND replies to other articles I've realized some people will complain about anything.
This WindCube is a great idea. This "monster in it's infancy" is putting NE Ohio in the global spotlight. Um......remind me again what the problem is? If you'll recall, because I know you ALL actually read the article in it's entirety, one WindCube is capable of providing electric power for 18 homes annually. Provided, of course, there is a constant 13 MPH wind. Sometimes there is no wind. Other times wind will blow the dog away. So I think it's safe to consider 13 MPH an average annual wind speed. So, 18 homes with electric they provide on their own..........in the words of Arcot Ramathorn (for those of you who have seen Super Troopers), "That's a lot of Dimp!" I know it is not intended for residential use. But lets not focus on the wrong part of the story. It's a matter of principal.
For all you belly-achers, the coffee is done. Wake up and take a BIG whiff. It smells quite nice. And if you'd just give it a try instead of complaining about how much you hate coffee you might actually like it.
Oldsmar, FL
Posted 09:27 AM, 05/05/2009
And Sgt Lou.......remember........Mayor Plusquellic has been in office since 1987. Let's do the math, shall we? That's 22 years. That's 5 terms. And let's not forget his 13 years of serving on Akron's City Council. He didn't make it this far by force. He was democratically elected by...........*drumroll please*............ Akronites! Akronies! Akronians! Rowdies! The people of Akron voted 5 times to retain Don Plusquellic. But I agree.......he must be doing an absolutely horrible job...........
This isn't an attack on you Sarge. A few weeks ago I read an article about recalling the Mayor for some spending discrepencies. It seems as though a LOT of people hate him. I think he has done an excellent job at the helm of the city. I'd post my rant in the appropriate place but said article is in an archive now and I have to pay to see it again........no thanks:)
