Rural landowners and small businesses in Oregon are eligible for significant financial incentives for the installation of small wind power turbines on their property. Energy Trust of Oregon offers up to $35,000 for residential or $60,000 for commercial customers of Pacific Power or Portland General Electric. Customers may install approved units up to 50kW on their property to qualify for the incentives.
These incentives plus Oregon tax credits will cover up to 50% of the cost of installing a small wind turbine. With these incentives a small turbine becomes a good option for renewable power for rural homeowners, farmers, ranchers and other property owners.
Some of the requirements to qualify for the program are: Property size of at least one acre, average wind speed of 10 mph (the Energy Trust provides wind maps) and an area free of obstructions such as trees or buildings. The installed system must be pre-approved by the Energy Trust, installed by a Energy Trust Small Wind Trade Ally, grid tied and net metered.
The Energy Trust website has all of the information about qualified wind turbines and installers. It appears qualifying for the incentives would be a painless process. From old fashioned windmills to pump water to modern wind turbines, this type of renewable power makes a lot of sense for rural power users.
Photo: Skystream 3.7 being installed
