OBERLIN — It stands 10 feet tall and can save thousands of dollars in electricity costs.

The best part? It’s being made in Oberlin.

A new type of wind turbine that was designed at Specialty Alternative Energy Services Inc. is receiving an infusion of cash from the state so it can get into the hands of consumers.

Gov. Ted Strickland stopped by the Artino Street company Friday afternoon to discuss a $50,000 Rapid Outreach Grant from the Department of Development that will allow Specialty Services to create 25 jobs and retain 100 positions for manufacturing of the turbines.

Touting the turbine project as an example of Ohio’s ingenuity, Strickland said alternative energy would be the means by which Ohio lifts itself out of economic darkness.

“This is exactly what we need to see happening,” he told the crowd of mostly local public officials. “These are jobs that are not likely to be outsourced, and that’s really good news.

The potential is great. Ohio is never going to produce too much energy.”

The 1,200-pound vertical turbines have patent pending technology that makes them unique, allowing the turbine to be connected to the generator using fewer parts, thus saving money.

The turbines produce only a small amount of energy, but they can also be stacked three or four high, which increases their production.

Some customers can generate enough electricity to pay back a single unit’s $17,500 price tag within seven years, according to Jim Tyree, vice president of Flanigan Industries, the parent company of Specialty Services.

“We spend 28 days taking readings for an area when a customer wants to buy one, and we can tell them how long it will take to pay off,” he said.

Development began on the turbines two years ago, and although the company hasn’t sold a unit yet, there are
20 orders pending.

Two of those will go to the Black River Schools, where Tyree is a board member, to provide electricity for the high school. The school district will be able generate enough electricity to pay back the units in 6.2 years, Tyree said.

Strickland said alternative sources of energy like the turbines offered consumers options they never had before. He also praised Oberlin and Oberlin College for their collaborations on developing advanced technology.

“I think Oberlin is noted for its willingness to embark on cutting edge research,” he said.

Contact Adam Wright at 329-7155 or awright@chroniclet.com.

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