FARGO, N.D. – Vernon Johnson has an all-electric farm. He heats his house and shop with electricity. Heat for his grain dryer comes from electricity. And, in the dead of winter, his utility bill has been $150 a month.
“We have electric cables in all the floors. They’re heating elements, like in a toaster. We’re 100 percent electric on this farm,” said the farmer from Luverne, North Dakota.
Johnson is able to create all that heat because he generated most of his own electricity. He installed his first 40 kw wind turbine in 1984. Within a year, he saw what an economic benefit he was reaping, so in 1986 he installed a second 40 kw turbine.
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“They worked real good for 25 years. No problems,” Johnson said.
He usually serviced the turbines twice a year in the spring and fall. The service included greasing some zerks, checking fluids in the hydraulic systems and checking oil levels in the gearboxes. It wasn’t difficult, but it did require climbing the tower.
“I don’t have them running right now because my wife won’t let me climb up on the towers anymore. And I can’t find anybody else who wants to do it. So they’re shut down for now.
“But they paid for themselves many times over. My light bill now runs from $800 to $1,200 each month, because we’re all electric. When the turbines are turning, the light bill is about $150 a month.”
