State Hopes Wind Turbine Will Save Money

The state is hoping wind can save it some money on power bills. A new wind turbine recently went up at a Florida Turnpike plaza along the Lake--Sumter County line and officials are hoping it can generate so much power that it could eliminate the power bill.

It's the state's first serious stab at using the wind to create electricity, something that, in the past, most experts said would never work in Florida.

The Okahumpka Plaza is one of the Florida Turnpike's busiest stops. Officials hope it also turns out to be the windiest.

"At this point in time, this is a good spot," James Culp of Progress Energy said.

Culp has high hopes for the new wind turbine now feeding power to the grid. It is high ground, 100 feet above sea level and the turbine sits atop a 60-foot pole. But is it breezy enough to save the state any money?

"Too early to tell. Florida is not known for having great wind resources," Culp said.

A $123,000 grant covered part of the cost for the equipment, one of five turbines that will go up across Progress Energy's territory. Nobody is suggesting the wind will replace coal and oil, but if enough power is generated, the state might buy more turbines to power some of its facilities, which, experts say, in the long run would be cheaper and certainly cleaner.

Culp says it would require several turbines to fully power the Turnpike rest stop and it takes an 8-mph breeze to spin the turbine and feed the power grid.

"Right now, we're collecting great wind from these consecutive fronts that we're seeing in the area. But another question I have is, how much production are we gonna get with our regular afternoon thunderstorms in the state?" Culp asked.

Those storms are why they also outfitted a rig with extra surge protectors to try to protect it from lightning.

If you wanted for your house, it would cost you $18,000, not counting installation.