Michigan-based retailer Meijer Inc is installing six Swift Wind Turbines, on its corporate offices near the shores of Lake Michigan, reports Mlive.com.
Local planning boards are crafting regulations for wind turbines, and the company plans to fit other locations with the small-scale devices, pending approval.
Nor is Meijer the only company adopting roof-top wind. Cascade Engineering, which makes the units, expects to install 60 units in the coming months.
Including installation, the 8-foot rotary turbines cost between $10,000 and $12,000. The new stimulus package offers a 30% investment credit for renewable energy, which could offset that cost.
With good wind a turbine can generate up to 2,000 kWh of electricity — about 20 percent of an average house’s annual usage – using wind speeds between 8 and 40 m.p.h. This could translate into a savings of $200 a year, according to a company spokesman.