LAGRANGE TWP. — The first residential wind turbine in Lorain County doesn’t resemble the giants with massive blades that dot the skyline in various parts of America.

Instead, the 30-foot vertical-access wind turbine at the home of Michael and Ilia Townsley, 556 Mountain Lion Drive resembles a circular metal wind sock turned on its head.

The main rotor shaft runs vertically, and blades inside the cylinder cause it to spin as wind hits the device.

Read more: Meeting set to discuss turbine laws.

Michael Townsley, his wife, his brother-in-law Vince Ragnoni and Ragnoni’s wife Carrie have formed IC Green Energy LLC in Vermilion to install the Windspire turbines that are manufactured in Manistee, Mich., at MasTech Manufacturing in partnership with Mariah Power.

The $11,000, 1.2 kilowatt (1200 watt) system would produce about 2,000 kilowatt hours per year in 12 mph average winds, or about a quarter of a household’s electrical costs, according to the Web site of Mariah Power.

Townsley said he expects to save double that amount because of favorable wind conditions at Pheasant Run. The vertical-access wind turbine catches wind from every direction, he said.
He said he plans to install the turbines elsewhere in Lorain County.

“The interest is overwhelming,” said Townsley, who hooked up his own turbine last week. “I’ve probably had 50 people knocking on the door asking about it.”

Neighbors in the Pheasant Run subdivision were a little concerned when they heard a wind turbine was proposed, according to next-door neighbor Mary Welther. She said a crowd turned up when the topic came up at the homeowners’ association meeting, and her family’s fears have been laid to rest.

“People were unsure and wondering whether it would have these big blades,” Welther said. “My husband was concerned about the noise level, but you can’t hear a thing — I wish them well.”

Townsley said the Pheasant Run Homeowners’ Association approved a variance that allowed him to install the device near a communal pond.

Normally, zoning codes call for tall structures to have “fall zones,” which means space so that they can fall onto the property of the person who owns them and not onto a neighbor’s land or building.

But Guy Fursdon, Lorain County’s chief building official, issued a permit for the wind turbine without such a space requirement after conferring with representatives of the township, its zoning inspector and Pheasant Run, said Rebecca Jones of the Lorain County Community Development Department.

“It’s like an aircraft wing — as the air pushes against the thinner part, it presses against the thicker part, creates momentum and starts spinning,” Townsley said.

The three sets of tall, narrow airfoils catch the wind while spinning around a vertical axis and as the rotor turns, a generator turns the energy into electricity. An inverter then converts the electricity to alternating current that can be used for buildings and homes.

Mariah Power says the device is expected to pay for itself in 10 years and is expected to have a lifetime of at least 20 years.

Townsley said federal and state subsidies cover several thousand dollars of the cost, but he was unable to qualify for a state rebate because he is an electrical co-op member and not a customer of a typical utility.

Picking an appropriate site is all-important, according to Ragnoni, who recommends extensive testing before installation of a wind turbine.

Ragnoni said his home in Vermilion would not be a good location for a wind turbine because of all of the trees, but he is excited about the prospect of other homeowners or businesses benefiting from the turbines.

The company started by the two couples has the sole ability to install the IC Green Energy wind turbines in a 100-mile radius of its headquarters in Vermilion, Ragnoni said.

The device is about 1,000 pounds and is made of 80 percent recycled steel and aluminum, and most of the parts are made in the United States, he said.

Both Townsley, a laid-off machinist for Republic Engineered Products, and Ragnoni, a member of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 129, said they were eager for a new challenge in a tight job market.

“Instead of waiting for someone to give us handouts, we’ve gotten off our butts and decided to help ourselves and at the same time help the environment,” Townsley said.

Want to go?

• What: Open house for vertical-access wind turbine.
• When: 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday.
• Where: 556 Mountain Lion Drive in LaGrange Township.
• For more information: Go to www.icgreenenergyofohio.com and www.mariahpower.com.

Contact Cindy Leise at 329-7245 or cleise@chroniclet.com.

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