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Feature Stories (Vol. 110 No. 27--7/02/2008)

Farmer using nature's power

By Caroline Downs

Bowbells area farmer Leo Christiansen smiles as the
installation of a 120-foot, 20 kW Jacobs wind energy
system nears completion on his farm.

Leo Christiansen, a 78-year-old farmer who lives southeast of Bowbells, bridged the past and the future when he had a wind energy system installed on his farmstead two weeks ago.

"I’ve always been interested in wind power," he said. He attended a wind energy summit held in Grand Forks a few years ago and started collecting data in the region, with nearly five years’ worth of information now recorded. "I’ve tested 50- to 200-foot towers in the Bowbells area," he said. "It’s all been favorable. The higher you go, the better it is, of course."

A doctor he sees in Minot shares the same interest, and the two would often talk about the potential for wind energy in this area during Christiansen’s appointments. A few years ago, the doctor had a wind system installed on his property to generate electricity for his home use. "Every time I go to him, he’s needling me about putting up a tower," Christiansen said, grinning.

He made the actual decision to purchase a tower last February and studied his options until he found just what he wanted. "As far as I know, this is the first one in Burke County," he said.

Christiansen chose a used, rebuilt wind tower model from Joe Straley of Avon, MN. Straley started his career with the late M.L. Jacobs, called the "father of modern wind power," of Jacobs Wind Electric Co. in Minnesota. Later, he developed his own business refurbishing, installing and servicing wind energy systems. To date, Straley has worked on 400 such towers across the country. He set up Christiansen’s unit within three days, working alone except for the wiring, handled by Cameron Bartuska of Gravesen Electric.

The galvanized steel tower on the Christiansen farm is 120 feet tall, with the unit generating 20 kilowatts of electricity given wind speeds at 26 mph. The fiberglass blades span a 31-foot diameter and feature one of the newest designs on the market. "This one was on display at the Minnesota State Fair last year," Christiansen said

The tower stands freely without the support of wires or cables anchored in the ground. Instead, each of its three legs is buried 10 feet in the ground, anchored in more than four yards of concrete apiece. The unit is rated to withstand wind speeds up to 120 mph. "It’s not like an old windmill used to be!" said Christiansen.

The entire system is priced at $62,000, delivered and installed with all the necessary electric wiring. "A lot of people my age will think I’m crazy!" Christiansen said, smiling as he glanced up at the tower. "We’ll stay here at the place as long as we can, and use the tower as long as we can."

He considers the wind tower as one key to the farm’s future, with his hope the resource makes the place more attractive and efficient for a family member or renter after he and his wife Joanne leave.

The system produces whatever electricity is needed to supply the farm’s demand and feeds the excess power directly into the gridline, metered by Burke-Divide Electric Cooperative. Christiansen does not store any energy in batteries for later use. "I get two cents per kilowatt hour," he explained. He added that most of his heating sources on the farm are now electric, with some supplemental propane.

A line runs underground from the tower to the Energy Phaser box installed in Christiansen’s quonset, where another wire connects that unit to Burke-Divide’s box. "They’ll know how much I produce," said Christiansen, "and they’ll subtract that off my billing."

He understands the wind will be variable, but he estimated the system would produce from a half to two-thirds of the power needed on his farm. On days the wind speed is too low to generate power, Christiansen will draw electricity. During periods of steady wind, he will supply electricity.

Christiansen had questions about the effects of a power outage, especially regarding the safety of linemen if his wind tower continued to produce electricity and feed power onto the grid.

This system is designed to shut down during an outage. "If the power goes out, I’m still out of power," Christiansen said. The unit also has a throw switch to cut the power output manually, if needed.

Although outages on the grid happen infrequently, Christiansen is researching the possibilities of some type of converter switch that could be added to his unit and allow the tower to continue feeding electricity for his own needs without impacting the main power grid.

Limited maintenance
Christiansen positioned the wind tower along the west edge of his farmstead, where it looms above a row of established spruce trees near the quonset. He doesn’t expect the tower’s operation to interfere with any of his farm work. In fact, he knows of only one possible drawback. "I’ve heard there might be a little wind noise, but I don’t know," he said.

The tower requires limited maintenance, although the unit will need an annual oil change and grease job. Christiansen pointed out the narrow steel bars attached at intervals to one of the tower’s legs as a ladder to the blades and laughed as he said he doubted he’d be climbing to the top very often.

With his own system now installed, and expected to be operational within the next week or so, Christiansen is still pursuing ways to develop wind energy on a larger scale. He has attended meetings through the years with wind energy developers who have visited the region, and most recently has been working with Curt Johnson and Craig Fink, two of the principals of Hartland Wind Farm, LLC. Christiansen would like to see a major project come to fruition in this area, given the potential for consistent power generation.

"In the homestead days, how did they pump the water?" he asked. "The wind is here. Why not make use of it?"

Christiansen intends to do just that, beginning with his own farm, although his next task has more to do with holiday cheer than renewable energy. He thinks he may decorate the top of his wind tower with a Christmas star. "I’m not so young anymore," he said, glancing at the blades 120 feet above the ground and shaking his head. "I don’t know if I’ll be getting up there!"