On Monday I received a rather thick envelope in the mail from Dominion North Carolina Power. Inside was a filing that Dominion had made with the State Utilities Commission requesting an increase in rates for retail electrical service of approximately 14%. They go on to explain later in the letter that this translates to just a couple of extra dollars here or there, depending on the season.

This is part of the process that they must go through in order to raise the rates. Notification of all customers, holding public hearings (Manteo, September 1 at 7 p.m. at the Courthouse) to receive the testimony of public witness. I believe the translation of this is we will sit and listen to you for an hour or two if it will mean more money for us.

The main reason for the request for increase are changes in the cost of fuel.

To see the full letter click here Dominion Rate Increase Notification.

This will not be the last rate increase. Do something to increase your energy efficiency… whether increasing insulation, changing that leaky window, using more efficient appliances and making it a practice to conserve energy. Installing a renewable energy solution is a good long term investment against rising energy costs. Its time we all change our habits, so we won’t be using our money to fill Dominion’s Piggy bank.

Maybe this will be a visual reminder to our elected representatives to promote renewable energy incentives…

you can visit this Windspire at the Botanical Gardens adjacent to Capitol Hill.

Trying to market and sell renewable energy, or “green” technologies is challenging (believe us, we know). I am always looking for insight into this market. A friend recently sent me a link to another blog and I found the premise very interesting. The author outlines several reasons why even though we are the most innovative country in terms of developing “green” technology as consumers, we often don’t adapt it readily.

It goes on to suggest that our culture is partially to blame… for example, scrimping or being frugal is not culturally celebrated. As the nation with the fourth largest land mass at our disposal, we have not been predisposed to being conservationists with natural resources. Having said that, I think those of us that live here on the Outer and Inner Banks are far more aware of how our actions effect our environment.

I don’t necessary agree with all the opinions, but it is an interesting article to read and consider. Find it here at:

Why Green Has Such a Tough Time in America

Say hello to another wind turbine addition to the Outer Banks. See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l03cBDCmhEM.

Jockey’s Ridge State Park just installed a Bergey 10kW Wind turbine behind the visitor center. She’s a beauty.

Waldt Construction worked with the local Bergey dealer, Jay Hart, to install this turbine. Stop by the park to check it out!

We have planted a butterfly garden under the Windspire!

Waldt Renewables, a division of Waldt Construction, is pleased to announce the installation of a Windspire ™ vertical axis wind turbine at its corporate offices located 8754 Caratoke Highway in Harbinger. The public is invited to attend a “launch” of the turbine on Friday, May 7, 2010 at 11 a.m.

The 2600 kWh anticipated annual energy production from this wind turbine will offset energy demand at the building at a potential cost savings of $234.00 annually. It will also allow Waldt to take commercial tax credits up to 65% from the state and federal government. 

“Waldt Construction has installed this wind turbine as a visible symbol of our commitment to renewable energy. We want to be on the cutting edge of the new economy for northeastern North Carolina,” states Bridge McDowell, Waldt Construction’s President. “By establishing Waldt Renewables as a line of business to serve renewable energy customers in the residential, commercial and institutional markets, we intend to grow as an educational resource and as a business.”

The Windspire is a 30 foot, vertical wind turbine whose blades are arranged as a cylinder around a central pole. This design allows the Windspire to maximize lower and turbulent wind for energy creation.  Its holistic design incorporates an inverter so that the energy harvested is converted within to AC power within the unit, lowering equipment and ongoing maintenance costs. Data from the inverter about energy production is sent via wifi so that system owners can see benefits. Similar to solar systems, generating wind energy is scalable with the installation of several turbines together, creating a wind garden effect. And, especially valuable in this high wind environment, the Windspire can be tipped down and secured rather rapidly before a high wind event.

“The Windspire vertical axis wind turbine is the best of all worlds for residential and commercial customers, because of its robust and unique design,” continues Mr. McDowell. “This fits a perfect niche and is acceptable under most small wind ordinances.”

Its so quiet underneath...

Waldt is the regional dealer for the Windspire wind turbine. Waldt Renewables is ready to provide the latest and most efficient alternative energy options for residential, commercial or institutional projects. For more information, call Claiborne at 252.491.2204 or email renewables@waldt.com.

Waldt Construction was an integral part of the rennovation team for the Oregan Inlet Lifesaving Station that was originally built in 1897.

“It was a fascinating project to work on… we found original artifacts in the wall like coast guard logs from 1897, books and newpaper clippings. We enjoyed returning a part of local history back to its orginal beauty.”

–Bridge McDowell, President, Waldt Construction

See more about this process and the plans for this building here:

http://www.metronc.com/article/?id=2060

Before the rennovation…..

After the rennovation….      

If you are visiting Jockey’s Ridge these days, watch the wind turbine installation process behind the visitors center.

We will post pictures of the process as it goes along on the www.waldtrenewables.com blog.

Rebar installation

Estimates for wind resources for the lower forty eight states have been revised upwards based on new data presented by a collaboration between the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and AWS Truwind.

This data does help here on the Outer Banks to understand the potential for harvesting wind for energy, specifically at heights greater than 80 feet.

Learn more about this here at

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2010/03/us-wind-potential-higher-than-previously-estimated?cmpid=WindNL-Wednesday-March10-2010.

Thanks to everyone who showed up with enthusiasm for renewable energy solutions yesterday at the Green Building Expo at COA in Manteo. We had a great time!