Utilities Take a Back Seat to Wind Energy with WindStax ZeroFirst Technology

WindStax Wind Power Systems announced their ZeroFirst^TM technology, which uses wind energy as the primary source of electricity calling upon utility power as a backup only if needed. Since 2013 WindStax has been quietly manufacturing and installing large vertical axis wind turbines in unexpected places. Their turbines are providing clean energy to homes, manufacturing plants, and even a trucking terminal in the Pittsburgh region. WindStax is a pioneer of microgrids, the electronics behind their unique turbines, which uses batteries to store energy to smooth cycles of supply and demand. With ZeroFirst^TM, the transition between power sources is seamless. Customers benefit by maximizing alternative energy investments using zero-cost and zero-carbon electricity with the reliability of public power as a last resort.

A barrier to installing alternative energy solutions is the complexities involved in selling electricity back to the grid. The Department of Energy reports over 2,000 public power utilities in the US. Net metering, as it is known, is regulated differently by each state utility commission who defer details of interconnection and code compliance to the local utility and municipality. While popular to tout the falling costs of solar hardware for example, the soft costs of compliance, permits, labor, insurance, and financing continue to rise. In fact, DOE reports average soft costs at 64 percent of the total cost of new PV systems.

WindStax systems can be net metered. However, they eliminate many soft costs by installing their microgrids behind the meter. “ZeroFirst is a paradigm shift in alternative energy,” says Ronald Gdovic, CEO of WindStax. “While the important discussion of where self-generation fits into the century-old public utility business model, we install microgrids for customers who recognize the benefits of generating and consuming their own power right now. Net zero is the goal.” Commercial buildings with large electrical demand and room for turbine clusters have much to gain adopting advanced microgrid systems.

WindStax is expanding production and plans to establish distributorships in the US and abroad in 2016.

About WindStax Wind Power Systems

WindStax® Wind Power Systems is a full-service wind energy company. We design and manufacture our own unique brand of large vertical axis turbines and microgrid power systems for primary and supplemental power requirements. WindStax® incorporates many industry firsts – including ZeroFirst™, a high-performance and reliable green energy system that is easy to own and operate.