LAPEER -- Consumers Energy says about 40,000 customers are still without power in Michigan Thursday night after wind storms swept through the area.
But NBC25 found out how one Mid-Michigan couple is harnessing that power and turning it into money.
At night most couples watch TV to unwind, but not these two.
They like to stare at their new vertical axis wind turbine that they just recently installed in their backyard.
"We saw the BP oil spill, we got upset and wanted to do something for the environment, we wanted to do something pro-active," said wind turbine owner Linda Berker.
DTE says this is the first wind turbine of its kind in Michigan.
"It doesn't make any noise, it hasn't killed any birds," said Berker.
But it uses wind to create electricity, and lots of it!
"Yes! We’re doing it," said wind turbine owner Don James.
When wind speeds reached 65 miles per hour in Lapeer County this week the turbine produced 1,800 watts of electricity. DTE says that's about $40 in energy.
"What we're doing is producing energy, selling it to DTE on the grid, and it should cover the cost of running our home and our barn for the year," said Berker.
Here’s how it works, the turbine produces DC current which this box converts into AC current.
"The AC current than goes directly to the house, and then it goes directly on to the DTE grid," said Berker.
But because the turbine is connected to the grid, during a power outage they have to throw the power switch off.
“So that we are not sending power back to the grid while they don't have power, otherwise, we will charge up their workers," said James.
The whole project cost about $40,000, but a third of it will be paid back in federal tax credits, plus maintenance is almost non-existent.
“About every two years we go around and tighten the nuts and bolts,” said James.
Another benefit to the vertical wind turbine, it will generate electricity at low wind speeds of seven miles per hour.
So most nights this couple will be creating energy instead of consuming it.
Linda Berker says she opened her first DTE bill Thursday night since installing the wind turbine.
She saved $80 and that's not including the electricity produced the last three days.
