Stihl Inc To Install Turbines At Plant

Stihl Inc. has requested Virginia Beach city approval to install up to seven more wind turbines at its corporate campus.

Last summer, Stihl put two turbines atop one of its production facilities and is now looking to install up to seven more wind turbines, according to Ben Hoffmann, Stihl special projects manager. The Planning Commission approved Stihl’s request last month, but city approval is still required. The turbines would provide less than 1% of the company’s energy needs, and are fairly small, not the windmill-type turbines most people are familiar with. According to Stihl’s proposal, the turbines are 6 ft. in diameter and mounted less than 13 ft. from the rooftop. The turbines will generate up to 2.25 kilowatts per hour, Hoffmann said. They will produce power from wind speeds as slow as one-half mile per hour. They will be more efficient than traditional turbines, which require minimum wind speeds of 7.2 MPH.

The Virginia Beach facility is the only Stihl Inc plant worldwide to use wind energy.

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