Fort Smith Windspire
Owners: Kendall, Barry and Kevin Mounce, (not pictured Britt Mounce)
Location: Fort Smith, Ark.
Company History: In late 2007, when the Mounce brothers were looking at buying mini-storage units, they saw the electric bills and decided there must be a better way. After some Internet searching, they came across Windspire, a self-contained, vertical axis windmill. There were no dealerships in the Crawford County area. After careful consideration, they put in for a dealership, thinking they could service a 50 mile radius. The Mariah Power Company, manufacturers of the Windspire, quickly came back with an okay for the dealership to service a 175-mile radius.
Products and Services: Windspire windmills are compact and durable; capable of withstanding winds of 105 mph. Kevin is working now on the first wave of introducing Windspire to poultry growers. Being able to install the Windspire near the fans at the end of a barn, should allow the windmill to harness some of the fan output, thus, creating energy from energy being lost. “I also think the Windspire would be great for rural farmers. They could switch off the grid and the Windspire could function as an extremely powerful generator,” illustrated Kevin. Farms and ranches that have large open expanses are ideal for wind generation.
What does installation involve?
Windspires are unique in that they are only four feet across, and never leave that area. The Mariah Company manufactures the Windspire in the United States, and it is shipped directly to your site. The only thing needed to install is a concrete pier, and one wire from the Windspire to the box. The wire runs right into a 20 amp breaker. They even have software that allows the owner to monitor the electricity generation from their home computer. "Due to the vertical nature of Windspire, they also only require winds of 8 mph to generate electricity," Kevin explained.
Windspires are more affordable than old school windmills, and the cost can be offset by USDA grants and IRS tax credits. The annual energy production from one Windspire unit is 2000kWh.
By Stephanie Burroughs
