WALL - Ignoring the twirling blades of a wind turbine towering above their hay feeder, horses on Harlan Walker's ranch eat contentedly while wind-generated electricity keeps a nearby water tank from freezing.

"It doesn't bother them at all," Walker said, watching the turbine spin.

Walker raises registered quarter horses and longhorn cattle near Wall. Controlling his power costs is important, he said.

Mounted at the top of a 45-foot tower, the Skystream 3.7 wind turbine cranking out power above Walker's horses is a residential power appliance.

The compact, technologically advanced turbines are becoming increasingly popular nationwide, according to Robert Raker of Rapid City, owner of Alternative Energy.

Raker, who is engaged to Walker's daughter Haley, started marketing the wind turbines about six months ago.

Various wind studies have ranked South Dakota's wind resources as first or second in the nation, Raker said.

Skystream manufacturer Southwest Windpower of Flagstaff, Ariz., estimates it will take five to 10 years for a turbine to pay for itself in energy savings and generated credits with cooperating power companies, Raker said.

At a cost of about $13,000, Walker said his children will reap the benefits of the investment.

"It produces (electricity) at no cost once it's paid for," he said. "This was affordable without a huge investment."

On a typical winter day, Walker has at least one or two tractor heaters plugged into an electrical socket to keep the tractors ready for work. An electric heater set at 50 degrees staves off the chill in his tack room. Fluorescent lights turn on to give horses in the barn 16 hours of light, and four electric tank heaters keep water tanks open.

When summer comes, electric fans will blow air through the barn for the comfort of stabled horses.

It may take a couple of billing cycles before Walker knows the full impact of his investment in a home wind turbine, but he's looking forward to the day he can watch wind-generated electricity earn him credit with the local electric cooperative, West River Electric.

"I want to watch the meter turn backwards this summer," Walker said.

Raker installed Walker's wind turbine over a two-day period in late January.

Installation was fairly simple, according to Walker. The tower is anchored to a 36-inch by 10-foot concrete footing. An underground power line runs across the corral to the meter box.

The tower and turbine have a survival wind speed of 140 mph.

After the concrete was set and the power line was trenched, it took about an hour and half to install the turbine-topped tower.

The turbine is equipped with three fiberglass, reinforced composite blades, each about 6 feet long. A brushless magnetic alternator converts wind power to electricity.

The system is almost friction free and has an estimated lifespan of 20 years, Raker said.

The turbine kicks in when winds exceed 8 mph and shuts off when winds exceed 60 mph or fall below 5 mph.

West River Electric installed a new power meter that is programmable to show the power that Walker's turbine feeds into the power grid, Raker said. Local utilities have been very accepting of the wind turbines, he said.

The metering system is set up to give turbine-generated power priority. If wind is generating 60 percent of the ranch's power needs, the other 40 percent will come from the electric company.

"This is a really smart system," Raker said. "It monitors the grid power to equalize output."

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Development Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Program has grants and loans for agricultural producers and small businesses that will cover up to 25 percent of the cost of a wind turbine, Raker said.

Walker has also taken his energy conservation another step by installing Thermo-Sink stock-watering systems to supply water for his cattle.

The electricity-free watering systems have allowed him to remove two electric meters on his ranch.

Well-insulated and made of heavy-duty polyethylene, the watering systems consist of two or three tubes extending six to eight feet in the ground, where they take advantage of geothermal warmth to keep water from freezing. Water circulates through the tubes each time a cow drinks.

The concept of tapping into the below-ground warmth and using water circulation to keep the water from freezing is simple, Walker said.

Walker said the simplicity and efficiency of the Thermo-sinks sell the systems to the most frugal ranchers.

Contact Andrea Cook at 394-8423 or andrea.cook@rapidcityjournal.com