Other World Computing (OWC), a leading technology company, announced today that it has become the first technology manufacturer/distributor in the U.S. to become 100% on-site wind powered by switching its daily operations energy needs over to a Vestas V39-500 kW wind turbine. Completely on-site powered, OWC can run its resource conserving LEED Platinum designed facility and internet operations datacenter 100% on this renewable, non-polluting power source.
The new OWC wind turbine is projected to generate an estimated 1,250,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) per year – more than double the current energy requirements of all OWC operations, including its internet operations datacenter which includes OWC.net and FasterMac.net ISP and webhosting services – and enough energy, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, to power a typical U.S. suburban subdivision annually. With peak wind conditions, the OWC wind turbine can generate more energy in a single week than what OWC’s operations require for an entire month. Excess energy produced by OWC wind turbine will be sold back to the local power provider, thus making OWC a net supplier of sustainable energy to the McHenry County, IL region in addition to being a provider of award winning technology to over one million Mac, PC, and iPod users around the world.
As part of the overall vision unveiled in 2006 for the new OWC corporate headquarters, the OWC wind turbine installation was designed to produce power at winds speeds as low as nine mph based upon the OWC campus site conditions average wind speed of 10-15 mph. The tower is 131 feet high with the blades extending the turbine’s total height to 194 feet. The blade housing can rotate 360 degrees so it can turn facing into winds up to 150 mph. During extreme winds, the blades automatically go “flat” with the narrowest point into the wind and in essence, shut the turbine down until it senses safe operational wind speeds. Whenever there isn’t adequate wind power generation, the local utility company will remain as the backup power source for OWC. Additionally, in the event of a combined wind and utility company power blackout, OWC has two additional on-site backup power systems so it can continue serving its customers without interruption.
The cost to install a wind turbine of OWC’s caliber is typically $1.25 million with a Return On Investment (ROI) of 100% within 10-14 years based upon a 25% front-end investment and current energy costs. The actual ROI recovery period can be reduced significantly as energy costs increase. “I made the decision to 100% self fund this project because of the conservational benefits as well as the future cost of energy,” said Larry O’Connor, CEO, Other World Computing, in the press release. “With the kilowatt hour rate in the Chicago market up 24.3% since 1999, it only makes sense to use technology to lower our usage and costs related to traditional power sources.”
The OWC wind turbine installation is the most recent addition to the energy efficient, resource conserving, and low environmental impact OWC facility. The building, completed in 2008 and currently in the final approval stages for the highest LEED rating of Platinum, features:
• Geo-thermal ground-coupled heat pump system
• Fiber optic rooftop light-harvesting technology
• High insulation value glass windows and exterior sunshade technology for reduced cooling costs
• High insulation value materials throughout the building for reduced energy use
• “Smart” sensors to detect and adjust energy in unused rooms
• Permeable Paver system for environmentally friendly run-off water handling
• Bio Swales landscaping for water conservation
• Use of native plants and prairie grasses for water conservation
• Sloan Waterless Urinals and dual-mode toilets for water conservation
• Sloan high-efficiency hand driers in washrooms for energy/paper savings
• High-efficiency drinking water filtration system to eliminate need for delivered water
• Company-wide recycling with near zero waste generation
• Facilities for employees to commute to work by bicycle
• Low-impact cleaning products
OWC’s facility, with all of its energy saving technologies, is an ideal match for on-site wind power generation. “Our campus is designed to be vastly more efficient in resource utilization without sacrificing functionality,” said Larry O’Connor Sr., OWC Logistical Manager and building/turbine project coordinator. “As we do not use natural gas or any external fuel type for our heating needs, with the wind turbine now online, OWC has become an overall net producer of energy.”
For complete details and a pictorial presentation on OWC’s wind turbine project, as well as a virtual tour of its LEED inspired corporate campus, visit: www.macsales.com/windpower
Source: Other World Computing (OWC)
MacDailyNews Take: Congrats, OWC!
Congrats to OWC. I wish we could afford to get one of those wind turbines here. Why are they so expensive? Are they that difficult to make or are some components difficult to manufacture, or what?
We’re considering one of the new iMacs for our business, so maybe we’ll get it from them.
wind turbines, typically, are made prohibitively expensive, not by manufacturers, but by GOVERNMENT taxes and regulation. this is so bc green energy policy is a SCAM. the energy lobbyists and thus the government do not want people to be independent from energy spending. why let that happen when you can get morons to pay for the energy, and then tax the same morons in the form of carbon credits?? think about it people! follow the money and not your delusional desire to fix things that dont need fixing.
This is a fantastic achievement in my book and I’m impressed all around with OWC’s green stance. Action, not just words!
I’ve been a mac use for about 15 years and have spent a lot of time and money buying parts, accessories and peripherals for my macs. OWC is by far one of the very best dealers of mac centric items. I’ve always receive great service from them and appreciate all the helpful info on their site that aids in selection and installation of parts.
I hate to be the one, but, 12 years is about the average life of a wind turbine.
@montex
Sarcasm is no way to go through life son. As usual conservative , neo-conservative and lazy closet liberals tend to pick up on the 1/2 truths spewed by agenda wielding, prescription drug abusing morons like Limbaugh. Yes, climate change is a natural phenomenon that has been happening for millions of years. However, the last time the CO2 levels were this high in the Permian period (over 260 plus million years ago). The question isn’t whether man’s activities have an influence, that is a foregone conclusion. Studies done on farms in Israel starting from the 50’s till now have shown that man made pollution has actually helped to slow the effects of Global warming.
The problem is not that Global warming is a naturally cyclic phenomenon, but that man’s acceleration of the natural course of events may hasten the extinction of many plants and animals, including ourselves. Climate change almost brought about our extinction once before about 10000 years ago. The Polar Ice caps will be completely free of summer ice in 2 years. The cost in human lives and property from natural disasters has been going up annually every year.
Nuclear energy is no panacea, until the process can be made more efficient. Most nuclear reactors in the US are the old style that literally consume less than 10% of the available fuel due to the fact that they pollute their fuel rod with non-fissionable isotopes rendering them unusable and good for noting but storage waste in Yucca Mountain. Yeah lets build more reactors and produce more of that S#!t, great planning.
At least with wind energy some of the increased climate activity can be used to decrease our energy dependence and bring human society full circle. We use to be stewards of the earth, consuming everything of an animal we killed, using sustainable practices to prolong out society. I see this form of energy production moving us back in that direction and away from the destructive throw away society we have become.
No one is even mentioning the billions of tons of frozen methane at the bottom of the worlds oceans that will be liberated as the worlds oceans warm. It only needs to rise another few degrees. You think the Bermuda triangle is a mystery, wait till you see how many billion tons of methane gas will be liberated, sinking billions of tons of shipping and knocking planes out of the air as an even as a more potent greenhouse gas is liberated. Methane gas bubbling from the bottom of the ocean has been known to sink ships due to the displacement property changes of the ocean. Airplane engines have been known to flame out when the concentration of Methane in the atmosphere gets above 2.5% and displaces the available oxygen.
The wholesale dying of fish due to the displacement of oxygen in the water should recreate the Permian period beautifully. All the rotting corpses will brng back oceans of H2S. You’ll see pink oceans and smell rotten eggs for years. There are lakes in upstate NY where this is a current phenomenon right now. Luckily the H@S stays below 700′. No one knows how long all this stuff will take to evolve if we don’t change our behavior. It could be a few hundred years at the rate we are going or it could take a few thousand. If we do nothing we have only ourselves to blame for bathing in the fetid waste of our own sewage rather than adopting sustainable practices all for the sake of a few dollars we saved on cheap oil. I can guarantee you that mother nature will bring about this balance with or without our cooperation. The earth has been here for over 4 billion years, we as a sentient society have only been here about 100,000. The last 6,000 is where we seem to have strayed. Well that’s my 2.5 cents.
Actually since they are selling energy instead of buying it, their prices to consumers might actually drop.
I am sure Larry has been planning this for a long time, just like the entire building they are in… so the current economy probably had little negative effect. If anything, they might have qualified for some tax incentives and government subsidies for doing this now.
Glad to see we are surrounded by rocket scientists…
Got an email from OWC with a link to a video of the turbine they posted on Facebook.
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1246925858239