Nov. 1--WEST VALLEY CITY -- A century-old Utah company has an eye to the future.

On Friday, Fetzer Architectural Woodwork installed two wind turbines at its hilltop location 500 feet above the Salt Lake Valley floor. The Skystream 3.7 Turbines, designed to generate electricity in low breezes, are now helping to power Fetzer's 13,000-square-foot plant, next to the Westridge Golf Course.

"We're not going to change the world," said company Vice President Paul Fetzer. "We want to be a part of this new beginning. We want to show our commitment to our environment."

The cost of the turbines was $24,000, minus $8,000 in federal and state tax credits. And after the five-year payback time, power would be virtually free during the turbines' 35-year lifetime. Fetzer isn't sure how much utility bills will be cut, but on holidays, weekends and nights when the mill is idled, the AC current from the turbines will go back into the power grid -- giving the company utility credits.

The wind turbines are expected to generate up to 4,000 kilowatt hours of power each month. Currently, the value of those kilowatt hours is about $3,360 per year, based on an average commercial customer's rate schedule, said Rocky Mountain spokesman Dave Eskelsen.

That depends, however, on how steady the winds are. And without wind, "the only use for turbines is they're something pretty to look at," said Steve Painter, owner of West Mountain Wind and Solar, which installed the turbines.

Still, the United States has enough wind resources to generate electricity for every home and business in the nation, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

The major challenge to using turbines is that the wind is intermittent and it does not always blow when electricity is needed. And although the cost of wind power has decreased dramatically in the past 10 years, the technology requires a higher initial investment than fossil-fueled generators.

Costs were only part of the decision to install the wind turbines, said company President Wallace Fetzer. But then, his business has been involved with wood, one of the most environmentally friendly products, since its founding in 1909.

The company is known for its fine paneling, tables and other woodwork projects, such as the Salt Lake Public Library, Performing Arts Center of Greater Miami, Seattle Waterfront Marriott Hotel and, earlier last century, the ornate wings flanking the organ pipes at the Salt Lake LDS Tabernacle.

As part of its 100-year celebration, Fetzer installed a compactor which pulls air from the mill as it accumulates sawdust waste. The clean air returns to the mill and the waste is compacted into briquettes. A pure wood briquette, about the size of a 3-inch cylinder, is used for firewood.

This operation saves Fetzer about $3,500 a month and reduces its waste that normally goes to the landfill by more than 65 percent.

In addition, Fetzer is a contributing member of the Tropical Forest Foundation that teaches logging companies to practice sustainable forestry. And the company has been certified by the Forest Stewardship Council to manufacture products which meet sustainable requirements.

dawn@sltrib.com

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