By Stowell P. Watters
Staff Writer
    Something is different about the view of Walker’s Point from Ocean Avenue, in Kennebunkport.
    “The former President was approached by a wind power company during the summer, after doing some research and looking at wind maps of the area, we found out that a wind turbine is something we are interested in, so we went for it,” said Jim Appleby, personal aid to the 41st President of the United States, George Herbert Walker Bush.  
    Residents and tourists alike will now be able to view a new, 33 foot Skystream 3.7 wind turbine near the American Flag. The turbine was designed by SouthWest WindPower in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Previously, the company installed one of these three-bladed turbines at the Farmington Wastewater Treatment Facility (WTF). Superintendent Steve Moore has only good things to say about the device.
    “When the thing really gets going you hear a bit of a chirp. The (Skystream) 3.7 cost us around $12,500 but we predict we will be saving $1,300 to $1,400 a year, and that we will make our money back in eight to nine years,” Moore said. “People come down, ask about it, and it gets us all thinking about the environment. Things are in motion now.”
    Although the WTF turbine was installed only two weeks ago Moore said the Farmington plant has received a load of positive public comment.
    Bob Greig is the owner of All Season Home Improvement, the company that sells SouthWest WindPower turbines in Maine. Their office has been in Augusta for 14 years, but has only recently started installing and selling the turbines.
    “About a year ago I was watching this news special on the Skystream 3.7 and how there was one going up in New Jersey, I said to myself ‘gee, that’s pretty interesting’ because most all wind power generators had previously been so huge, so cumbersome,” Greig said.
    In fact, the Skystream 3.7 is the smallest turbine produced by the Arizona company, thus making it a hot ticket, according to customer service representative for SouthWest WindPower, Chris Reigner.
    “It is the only well connected unit on the market that is designed for residential use. It has a built in inverter, which allows it to connect directly to the user’s utility grid, enabling the turbine to turn on your regular power if the wind isn’t blowing at a good clip. Likewise the inverter will send any excess energy back to the grid for potential future credited use from the power company,” Reigner said. “It is a small, quiet, unobtrusive unit that costs anywhere from $12,000 to $14,000.”
    Greig’s company has already sold and installed 41 of these units across Maine, including the one at Walker's Point. Maine is the 13th windiest state according to www.iwindsurf.com, a Web site that gives up-to-the-minute weather analysis and offers everything from wind maps to state vs. state statistics concerning wind.
    “Walker’s Point gets a lot of wind, as soon as we put it up it began to spin,” Greig said.
    Appleby affirmed although the former President does use photovoltaic solar paneling to give supplemental power to his home, the turbine is not a part of any “green” campaign the former President is a part of, only a personal decision.
    “He and Mrs. Bush are doing this specifically for their own needs, and will remain on the grid as the turbine does not completely power the home,” Appleby said.