Southern Oregon Coast’s The World is reporting on the progress of Rogue River Wind. Their product is a roof mounted, ultra-efficient, low-profile, sturdy wind turbine with a built-in generator called the V-LIM. Despite numerous set backs over the years the reality of production is getting closer.
After attempts to get the V-LIM off the ground locally [Coquille] failed, [CEO Mary Geddry] relocated the project to Portland where a prototype was in the works, before she again relocated it to Cottage Grove where it was completed and may be manufactured.
She said some manufacturers in Alaska and the East Coast have expressed interest in producing it, as well.
The V-LIM is said to be more efficient than traditional wind turbines in that it produces electricity in winds ranging from light breezes to Class 2 hurricanes, is silent and vibration free even in gusts up to 100 miles per hour. As wind speed increases, so does the turbine’s power output.
It’s about three meters in diameter and is designed for commercial and industrial use. The unit costs between $125,000 to $150,000.
The V-LIM produces 25 kilowatts on average during wind bursts. Peak energy users can expect a return on investment, in consistently blustery regions, in about three years, Geddry said.
Geddry, who crafted the unit’s aerodynamic design, recruited brain power from Portland State University to upgrade the efficiency of the mechanism with a high-bandwidth generator.
Electrical engineer and Coos County resident Dr. Stanley Marquiss came on board to design a “plug-in-play” feature, which allows the appliance to configure itself into a facility’s energy system automatically once it’s installed.
Before the V-LIM can officially go on the market, it needs to be certified with the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energies Laboratory, a process that could take about six months. In the meantime, Geddry hopes to begin production to meet demand — which may come from the U.S. Department of Defense.
All military bases, Geddry said, must produce 25 percent of energy from alternative sources, such as wind, by 2025.
Talks with the DOD are preliminary at this point, she said, but supplying the government agency with the V-LIM has potential.
“It appears that they would be one of our biggest markets,” she said.
