Shane said only a few products offered by turbine manufacturers lived up to their claims. Some claims bordered on the fraudulent like the one that barely generated power to run a laptop computer. ...The Bealls settled on two 18-foot tall vertical blade turbines; a similar height turbine with a "ball" blade that is quiet; and a 90-foot hybrid, horizontal blade turbine that works in tandem with solar cells.
Shane said only a few products offered by turbine manufacturers lived up to their claims. Some claims bordered on the fraudulent like the one that barely generated power to run a laptop computer. ...The Bealls settled on two 18-foot tall vertical blade turbines; a similar height turbine with a "ball" blade that is quiet; and a 90-foot hybrid, horizontal blade turbine that works in tandem with solar cells.
GALVESTON - Gawkers often stop to gaze at the four wind turbines spinning in a horse pasture on Galveston Island. Sometimes they knock on doors of nearby homes to inquire about the oddly shaped blades, much to the annoyance of the Beall clan living in houses clustered near the pasture.
Among the houses is the A&H Electric shop and office, owned by three generations of Bealls since its founding in 1929.
This old, established business is aiming to get in on the newest in green technology by finding the best wind turbines for residential use.
Although there are dozens of companies in Texas dealing in residential wind power, few of them are in the Houston area, said Russel Smith, executive director of The Texas Renewable Energy …
... more [truncated due to possible copyright]GALVESTON - Gawkers often stop to gaze at the four wind turbines spinning in a horse pasture on Galveston Island. Sometimes they knock on doors of nearby homes to inquire about the oddly shaped blades, much to the annoyance of the Beall clan living in houses clustered near the pasture.
Among the houses is the A&H Electric shop and office, owned by three generations of Bealls since its founding in 1929.
This old, established business is aiming to get in on the newest in green technology by finding the best wind turbines for residential use.
Although there are dozens of companies in Texas dealing in residential wind power, few of them are in the Houston area, said Russel Smith, executive director of The Texas Renewable Energy Industries Association.
"Most of the activity is where there are incentives, and Houston is not one of those areas," Smith said.
Brothers Henry and Shane Beall began testing four types of wind turbines in August after culling through dozens of products and expect to begin marketing and installing them the first part of next year.
Customers are already lining up, but the Bealls are refusing to take any orders until they've completed their testing.
"We've had lots of people saying, 'I'm not worried about your test. I want them,' " said Shane, 37. "We are not going to put our name on a product until we actually get our study done."
Shane said only a few products offered by turbine manufacturers lived up to their claims. Some claims bordered on the fraudulent, said Henry, 46, like the one that barely generated enough power to run a laptop computer.
Moody Gardens project
The Bealls finally settled on two 18-foot tall vertical blade turbines; a similar height turbine with a round "ball" blade that is quiet and can be roof-mounted; and a 90-foot hybrid, horizontal blade turbine that works in tandem with solar cells.
A&H electric is one of only two distributors in Texas of the horizontal blade systems made by WE Power, based in Aliso Viejo, Calif., said Trevor Barrett, WE operations manager.
The Bealls erected the first wind turbine on Galveston Island at Moody Gardens in 1983, but the technology was in its infancy and the project failed, Shane said.
The Bealls kept their interest in wind power, and they finally decided to put the family prestige and fortune behind the new technology about three years ago. After that, the family began the long and at times frustrating effort to winnow the way through wind products.
At present, there is no way to rate residential wind turbines, known as "small wind" products, said Smith of the Texas Renewable Energy Industries Association.
Smith said the U.S. Department of Energy is developing a certification process and has begun testing products from more than 400 manufacturers of residential wind turbines.
The Bealls made their own modifications to the turbines, sending one back to the manufacturer to be galvanized to withstand the corrosive effects of the salty coastal air. They also modified the manufacturer's requirement that the turbines be able to withstand a 135-mph wind, upping it to a 150-mph wind load, Shane said.
The four Beall houses are connected to the hybrid system, which uses a backup battery for each house. Power is automatically allocated to each house based on its need. Some of the homes are so efficient that they sell power back to the power company.
Cost vs. benefit
A residential turbine probably will cost between $15,000 and $60,000, depending on the customer's needs and difficulty of installation, Henry said.
The 18-foot and rooftop mounted turbines could be placed in urban areas. But a structural evaluation would be required of a home for the rooftop turbines.
Also, the devices likely wouldn't power the whole house but might power the air conditioning unit.
The stiff price tag and other limitations haven't dimmed enthusiasm for wind energy. Shane said he already has at least 20 potential buyers in Galveston and plans to hire between 15 and 20 employees to meet the expected demand.
Oddly enough, he said most of the inquiries are from the Dallas area. He is unsure whether he will open an office in Dallas or take a trailer there to do the work.
The Bealls understand they are taking a chance.
"It's something I hope takes off, but if it doesn't, it's good for us," Henry said.
Shane's wife, Michelle, 38, said, "And for our kids, it's the right example."