Distributed Energy
Powering a Resilient, Renewable Future
As climate change intensifies and energy demand surges, our conventional grid infrastructure is under increasing strain. Long-distance transmission lines are expensive to build and slow to permit—and they’re vulnerable to wildfires, tornados, and other extreme weather events that cause widespread, sometimes life-threatening, outages.
The solution? Distributed energy generation—clean power produced closer to where it’s used.
Wind Harvesters® are engineered to integrate into distributed energy systems. By connecting energy-dense arrays of vertical-axis wind turbines (VAWTs) into smaller local grids—alongside solar and battery storage—communities and businesses gain access to consistent, affordable, fossil-free energy. When the sun sets or skies are overcast, Wind Harvesters can capture nighttime and storm-driven winds to keep the system running.
Why Wind Harvesters Work Well in the Distributed Grid
- Fill wind gaps: In areas where large horizontal-axis wind turbines are restricted due to height or zoning, our compact turbines provide a crucial missing link—especially in windy areas underserved by current technologies.
- Complements Solar: Wind energy often peaks when solar doesn’t—at night or during storms—making Wind Harvesters a cost-effective partner in hybrid energy systems.
- Minimize visual impact: With a profile as low as 60 feet, Wind Harvesters blend into built environments far more discreetly than towering 300–500 ft propeller-type turbines.
The Distributed Energy Market is Rapidly Expanding
There’s a multi-billion-dollar global push toward localized clean energy systems — and Wind Harvest is positioned to lead in a critical segment:
- Tens of thousands of megawatts of cost-effective wind potential remain untapped in distributed markets.
- Our compact, modular design is ideal for commercial and industrial sites, and easy to co-locate with solar and battery storage.
Wind Harvesters open new opportunities in spaces previously off-limits to wind.
Example Applications
Project location: Frost Peak, Riverside County, California (Elevation: 8,400 ft)
Property owner: US Forest Service
Average annual wind speed at 20m above ground level: 8.5 m/s
Air density: 0.923/1.225 (sea level)
Capacity: 0.3 -1.0 MWs
Size of generator: 70 kW
Annual energy per MW: 3,000 MWh
Energy output in full buildout: 3,000 MWh/year
Off-taker: A local Community Choice Aggregator
Status: Project stopped. No new wind & solar projects will be considered on US federal properties due to recent executive orders.
Project location: Ellsworth Air Force Base, SD (Elevation: 3,280 ft.)
Property owner: US Government
Average annual wind speed at 20m above ground level: 6.5 m/s
Air density: 1.064/1.225 (sea level)
Capacity: 30 MW
Size of generator: 70 kW
Annual energy per MW: 2,000 MWh
Energy output in full buildout: 60,000 MWh/year
Off-taker: Ellsworth Air Force Base
Status: Complication with local utility grid system made project untenable at the present time.
Project location: Microsoft Data Center, Cheyenne, WY (Elevation: 6,300 ft)
Property owner: Microsoft
Average annual wind speed at 20m above ground level: 6.8 m/s
Air density: 0.958/1.225 (sea level)
Capacity: 5-10 MW & 100+ MWs on adjacent land
Size of generator: 70kW
Annual energy per MW: 2,140 MWh
Energy output in full buildout: 10,700-21,400 MWh/year
Off-taker: Microsoft
Status: Not yet proposed.
No projects currently planned.
Project location: Harrison Lighthouse, St. Lucy Parish, Barbados (Elevation: 40 ft)
Property owner: Barbados government
Average annual wind speed at 20m above ground level: 6.5 m/s
Air density: 1.198/1.225 (sea level)
Capacity: 50 MW
Size of generator: 50 kW
Annual energy per MW: 3,600 MWh
Energy output in full buildout: 180,000 MWh/year
Off-taker: Barbados Light & Power
Status: Not yet proposed
Walmart distribution center in Cheyenne, WY (Elevation: 6,300 ft)
Property owner: Walmart
Capacity: 8 MWs
Size of generator: 70 kW
Wind speed: 6.7 m/s
Air density: 0.958/1.225 (sea level)
Annual energy per MW: 2,140 MWh
Energy output in full buildout:
Off-taker: Walmart
Status: Not yet proposed.
Resilience and Opportunity in Rio Vista
Wind Harvest made steady progress advancing the Rio Vista Resilience Project—a wind, solar, and battery storage initiative in Solano County, California—until the ranch hosting the project was acquired by the developers behind the proposed California Forever city. While that paused our original plans, the region remains one of the most promising areas in the state for distributed clean energy.
Why This Location Matters
The area just east of Rio Vista is nearly ideal for a hybrid wind-solar-battery project. It benefits from:
- Reliable nighttime winds from April through October, aligning perfectly with Northern California’s peak air conditioning demand.
- In these summer months, batteries can discharge after sunset, recharge in the middle of the night when demand is low, and then discharge again at sunrise to meet the early spike in usage—before solar kicks in.
In the winter, when solar production drops due to storms and cloud cover, the area often sees strong wind events, allowing turbines to meet the demand.
Resilience In Action
Energy modeling shows that with the right combination of Wind Harvesters, solar panels, and storage, this site could provide dispatchable clean power over 95% of the time—day or night, summer or winter.
Powering a Community
Just a few miles from downtown, a properly-sized Wind Harvester project could fully meet the energy needs of the town of Rio Vista. In the event of a grid failure—such as the Fairfield substation going down—a properly designed local microgrid could keep Rio Vista powered, enhancing resilience, cutting emissions, and serving as a model for rural energy independence.
Project Details
Project location: Rio Vista, California (Elevation: 50 ft)
Property owner: Local ranch
Average annual wind speed at 20m above ground level: 6.5 m/s
Air density: 1.198/1.225 (sea level)
Capacity: 10 MW wind + 5 MW solar
Size of generator: 60 kW
Annual energy per MW from wind only: 2,900 MWh
Energy output in full buildout: 29,000 MWh/year from wind only
Off-taker: Marin Clean Energy
Status: Stopped because ranch land was sold to California Forever city.
