First Steps to Renewable Energy can be tough, but stylish.
By STEVE EVERLY
The Kansas City Star
Posted on Mon, Nov. 30, 2009
Looking like paddle wheels from an old-time riverboat and sitting atop an
83-foot steel pole, the aluminum contraption hovering near Interstate 435
and Roe Avenue in Overland Park could be modern sculpture. That’s what Chuck
Seel, a spokesman for Iowa’s state utilities board, first thought it was
when he drove by recently. But he eventually realized it was a wind turbine,
unlike any he had seen before. In fact, its manufacturer says it’s the first
of its kind to be installed in North America. The turbine is owned by the
A.L. Huber company, known as a builder of churches, office buildings and
retail centers. The company also is no stranger to art, having installed
such Christo projects as Wrapped Walk Ways back in the 1970s in Loose Park
in Kansas City.
For more information
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Overland Park considers rules for Windmills - SUN PUBLICATIONS
Written by Loren Stanton
Wednesday, 25 November 2009 00:00
With alternative energy expected to become increasingly more common, Overland
Park wants clearer guidelines for governing it.
The city’s Planning Commission voted recently to recommend that a Development
Ordinance amendment be adopted by the City Council that will outline a permit
process for windmills.
The city planning staff called for the guidelines as the frequency of wind
installation proposals rose from non-existent to a trickle.
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Construction Firm Adding Wind, Solar to Demonstrate Possibilities to
Customers
ENVIRONMENTALLEADER.COM
November 23, 2009
A.L. Huber, an Overland Park, KS. based construction company, has added a
5 kilowatt wind turbine to demonstrate the feasibility of such projects to
customers.
In the project, A.L. Huber has partnered with architectural firm Burns &
McDonnell. The project is dubbed REDI – an acronym for Renewable Energy
Demonstration Initiative.
Phase I of the project, which was installed Nov. 9-11, is a vertical-axis
twin rotor turbine mounted on an 83-foot pole. The turbine is said to
generate power at lower wind speeds than other options, while operating
quieter than horizontal blades and resulting in fewer bird kills. Phase II
will involve installing solar photovoltaic panels. Phase III will include
renewable energy renovations.
AES WIND Announces The First of its new "AES WINDJET 5™” WIND TURBINE In
North America.
Kansas City, November 10,
2009
AES Wind today installed and commissioned its first demonstration “AES
WindJet 5” Vertical Axis Twin-Rotor Wind Turbine in North America at the
corporate office of A.L. Huber, the premier construction contractor in the
Greater Kansas City area based in Overland Park, KS. “
We are very grateful to A.L. Huber and Burns & McDonnell for their support
in erecting and operating this demonstration unit and we look forward to
building a partnership with them to deliver clean and efficient wind power
throughout the region” said Bill Prevost, President of AES Wind.
As leaders in the construction, engineering and technology fields, the team
has come together to design, build and demonstrate new small wind turbine
technologies to the Kansas City community. An on-site “demonstration” area
will be open to the public where visitors will be educated on the technology
and also view a real-time turbine performance and energy generation display
panel.
For more information
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AES Wind announces the first installation of its new “AES WindJet 5™”
Wind Turbine in North America.
- New, revolutionary design offers all of the efficiency of propellers
without the drawbacks.
- Kansas City, November 10, 2009.
AES Wind today
installed and commissioned its first demonstration “AES
WindJet 5” Vertical Axis Twin-Rotor Wind Turbine in North America at the
corporate office of A.L. Huber, the premier construction contractor in the
Greater Kansas City area based in Overland Park, KS.
“We are very grateful to A.L. Huber and Burns & McDonnell for their
support in erecting and operating this demonstration unit and we look
forward to building a partnership with them to deliver clean and efficient
wind power throughout the region” said Bill Prevost, President of
AES Wind.
As leaders in the construction, engineering and technology fields, the
team has come together to design, build and demonstrate new small wind
turbine technologies to the Kansas City community. An on-site
“demonstration” area will be open to the public where visitors will be
educated on the technology and also view a real-time turbine performance and
energy generation display panel.
The new wind turbine is rated at 5kW and has several innovative features
which increase efficiency by up to 54% over existing designs. It also has a
simplified mechanical structure which improves efficiency and enhances
stability. Because its rotor speed is slower than traditional designs, it is
quieter, lasts longer and is far less likely to create problems for birds
and people.
The new turbine was designed by AeroNet, a partner company of
AES Wind, with headquarters in Seoul, Korea and is the first of a family
of AES
WindJet Small Wind Turbines to be installed in North America with power
ratings between 1.5kW and 100kW.
“We are delighted to be able to demonstrate the energy generating
efficiency of this patent-protected breakthrough design” stated Dr. Tom
Sabourin, CEO of AES Wind, “and we are especially pleased to have the
designer, Dr. Seungbae Lee, CEO of AeroNet with us to celebrate today” he
added.
About AES Wind:
Headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area,
AES Wind was formed in May, 2009 and is leading the small wind turbine
technology revolution for light industrial, agricultural, commercial, municipal,
community and residential use. The company’s
AES WindJet family of state-of-the-art wind turbines are superior to
traditional wind turbines. Global partnerships allow
AES Wind to deliver innovative, leading-edge designs, while maintaining a
strong and passionate commitment to the delivery of renewable energy to its
customers.
About AeroNet:
AeroNet, a partner company of
AES Wind is a South Korea corporation which was founded in November of 2001
in Seoul and contributes world-class engineering though Dr. Seungbae Lee,
Founder and CEO and his team.
About Burns & McDonnell
Burns & McDonnell provides
engineering, architecture, construction, environmental and consulting services
to clients throughout North America and abroad. More than 3,000 engineers,
architects, scientists, planners, estimators, economists, technicians and other
professionals work in 20 offices located throughout the U.S. Founded in 1898,
Burns & McDonnell is 100 percent employee-owned. For more information: Roger
Dick rdick@burnsmcd.com.
For more information
REDI-NOW Renewable Energy Demonstration Initiative
Midwest Public Risk Will Break Ground in August
- New Sustainable Office Building in Independence -
A.L. Huber is proud to join Midwest Public Risk (MPR), formerly known as
MARCIT, at a ground-breaking ceremony on
August 25th at 10:00 a.m. at the site of their planned
15,300 square foot headquarters building -
19400 East Valley View Parkway.
MPR selected the design and construction team of A.L. Huber General
Contractor and SFS Architecture to provide MPR with a facility that achieves
their goals of creating a durable and timeless structure that is also highly
sustainable. MPR will occupy the new headquarters building in summer of
2010. The facility will include training rooms, a health and wellness center
for staff and members, and office space for MPR employees.
For more information
Midwest Public Risk Ground Breaking 
Project Change Contributes $25,000 to Kansas City Philanthropies
- Team Awaken KC Wins Overall Community Service Challenge - June 2009
Overland Park, Kan. – The city-wide community-based philanthropic
challenge came to an end and the final numbers have been tallied. Team
‘Awaken KC’ won the overall award and received a check for $1,000 for their
charity, Community LINC.
The numbers are impressive; from total volunteer hours to dollars raised
for local charities. In the end, 15 teams comprised of 200 Kansas City
companies worked for four months to compete in “Project Change.” Project
Change’s goal was for each team to complete one challenge a month from
February to May. Over the four months, the teams were charged with creating
and completing community service. The teams worked to create a better Kansas
City from environmental challenges to enhancing the community to creating a
better place for those who live in it. In the end, the teams contributed to
70 community service projects benefiting over 40 local charities and rose
over $25,000 for the Kansas City community. For more information
Project Change
Perfect Safety Record- June 2009
The Associated General Contractors of America awarded A.L. Huber the 2008
Safety Award of Excellence for Zero Incidence Rate in the category of 50,000
work hours and over. This esteemed award is the product of A.L. Huber’s
focus on safety at the job site. ALH superintendents pay close attention to
creating a safe environment for the subcontractors, craftspeople, visitors
and team members entering and departing the site each day. The on-going
safety program, new and improved on-site safety signage and adherence to
safety regulations is an important part of A.L. Huber’s construction
practices.
A.L. Huber Alternative-Energy Initiatives -
May 2009
A.L. Huber is working in partnership with Burns & McDonnell and Kansas
City Power & Light (KCP&L) to erect a first-of-its-kind vertical-axis wind
turbine in the Greater Kansas City area. The wind turbine and other green
efforts will be located and operated at the A.L. Huber corporate office
building in Overland Park, Kan. The alternative-energy initiatives include a
90-foot vertical-axis turbine, a new technology roof-top wind turbine and
photo-voltaic panels, which will be mounted directly to the building.
As leaders in the construction, engineering and technology fields, the team
has come together to test new technologies as well as demonstrate
alternative-energy technologies to the Kansas City community. The team will
monitor the solar and wind energy output. A “demonstration” area will be
open to the public and visitors will be educated on the different
technologies being used. For more information
A.L. Huber Alternative-Energy Initiatives
Click here to view the
KMBC 9 News Story
Make News with AL Huber
Being in business over 100 years can lead to the development of many
traditions. A favorite tradition at A. L. Huber involves a short
interruption of work when the BELL TOLLS in our corporate office. The loud
and unmistakable sound from our historic bell, salvaged from the steamship
Llandaff City, is followed by an announcement describing the new client or
project our proud Project Manager has been awarded. This occasion recognizes
the efforts of our great team of professionals. The bell reminds us to pat
each other on the back for jobs well done and take a moment to consider what
new relationships and learning experiences we will create in the future.
Contact A.L. Huber for a discussion of how our teamwork can help your
business traditions grow and for the opportunity to ring our bell.
