Brooks Solar Installs First Grid Tied Wind Turbine in Chelan County Above, the completed turbine with wildflowers in the foreground.   Brooks Solar, Inc. of Chelan has completed the installation of the first grid tied wind turbine in Chelan County. The turbine was installed on the ranch of Charlie and June Nichols up the Colockum River near Malaga. The Bergey WindPower turbine is manufactured in Norman, Oklahoma, and can produce up to 10,000 watts of electricity in a 30 mph wind. The 1,000 lb, 21 foot rotor diameter turbine sits on a 100 foot guyed lattice tower. The machine is the first grid tied wind turbine to produce power for the Chelan County PUD SNAP (Sustainable Natural Alternative Power ) program. The Nichols hope to recoup the cost of the $37,000 machine in as little as 3 years by selling all the power produced to the SNAP program. Jim White, creator of the SNAP program, was on hand to observe the installation. The installation was also used as an educational opportunity for others interested in wind power. NW-SEED (Sustainable Energy for Economic Development, ) organized daily visits during the installation. The eleven NW SEED participants included interested individuals and representatives from cooperative organizations and nearby electric utilities from Washington and Oregon. Although this wind turbine is considered "small" by commercial wind farm standards, it is the first turbine this large to be installed by Brooks Solar, Inc. Randy Brooks brought together a group of 6 experienced small wind turbine specialists from across WA to accomplish the installation. Three months of planning and preparatory work were completed before the three day installation effort. The installation went well and was completed May 1st. The project passed electrical inspection May 2nd and was connected to the grid by PUD crews, and began producing power from the wind, on the morning of May 3rd. An open house, attended by approximately 25 interested utility staff and homeowners, was held May 15th. In the 12 days since installation the system had produced 499 kWhrs in 14.6 mph average wind speeds. The Nichols welcome interested visitors. Contact Brooks Solar at 509-682-9646 to arrange a visit. See a full-length article on this installation in Home Power Magazine #96. Torquing blade nuts. Randy Brooks descends the tower after releasing the crane lifting strap.