Solar, wind company finds Nevada niche

The Independent Power Corp., based in Sparks, is in Nevada for a reason.

"We are blessed with three renewable resources; wind, solar, and geothermal.

And Nevada has more of these than almost any other state," said Alan Caldwell, the company's chairman.

Caldwell began his professional life as a corporate lawyer on the East Coast.

After six years he decided to go into business and began to move west.

During a trip to Nevada he met his future wife, Grace Townsend, and eventually moved to the Silver State.

Grace at the time was managing Nevada's first geothermal plant built by her father Neal Townsend and his brother Don.

The plant at Wabuske, just north of Yerington, went into operation during the 1980s and still is in service.

After they married Alan and Grace moved to the Minden area where they operated the Sierra Cafe in Gardnerville for eight years.

During that time Grace found something that changed their life's path.

"She told me a gentleman came to her and said he had invented a new type of wind turbine," Alan said.

"I saw it and got excited as I knew he had something special."

Caldwell described it as "a radial flow, horizontal axis turbine." Unlike propellor driven units the turbine looks like a squirrel cage fan and is quiet when operating.

Several years later the Caldwells bought out the inventor's interest in the turbine.

Then they combined this asset with a company that had a retail business in solar equipment.

The result was the Independent Power Corp., which was started July 1, 2000.

Grace, as president, handles the day-today operations with the assistance of nine part-time employees.

Alan, as chairman, takes care of the larger issues as well as any legislative matters as a registered lobbyist.

The post-Sept.

11 recession brought a change in the company's direction a change Alan views as positive.

"We're going forward with the retail business but the wind turbine will be developed by another company," he said.

The first six pre-production turbines will be ready this May, with one of them slated for Nevada.

The retail solar business handles residential and commercial jobs.

The company, a licensed plumbing contractor, installs the hot water systems while outside contractors handle the electrical installations.

One recent project was the retrofit of Fallon's municipal swim center with a solar hot water system.

Caldwell said the project has an eight year payback schedule, "if the rates stay the same." He feels natural gas prices will rise resulting in quicker payback and larger savings for Churchill County.

On the electric side, Grace said solar electric can be most cost-effective when applied to an off-grid home.

The expense for a total system, which includes a generator, inverters, batteries and panels will run $25,000 to $30,000.

By comparison, Alan explained, extending power to a house a mile from the nearest pole, will cost the owner from $40,000 to $70,000.

Even if a home is in town, the company offers backup systems .

Purchasers of solar electrical systems can gain tax credits and, if their excess power goes into the grid, reduced power bills.

The Caldwells feel the company is well positioned in the evolving renewable resource market.

"The market seems good as we have experienced steady growth and are working on finding a niche," Grace said.

And they see major changes coming the threat to our oil supplies alongwith rising health costs due to pollution.

"I think there is a huge need for solar, wind, and geothermal because we need to stop mucking the air with pollution from fossil fuels," Alan said.

"It's a question of time, and better in my mind is sooner, rather than later, as we can't keep using fossil fuels like we are."