By the end of the year, Tradition Aviation in Thermal could be one of the first companies in the nation to be sporting a new small-scale wind-solar turbine that may help cut its energy bills, as well as market its business.

The combination of aesthetics and energy is what sold Penny Nelson, general manager of the commercial aviation firm located at Jackie Cochran Regional Airport, about 32 miles east of Palm Springs.

“Being at the airport, it's important for us to try to go green in any way we can,” Nelson said “Their machine doesn't make noise; it looks nice. It answers what I think we're looking for.”

The Side-Winder TWV4, developed by Two-West Wind and Solar of Toronto, almost looks like a street light with two sets of revolving blades, each about 4 feet long, twirling around a pole that can also be used to display marketing banners.

A small solar unit, about 120 watts, tops off the device.

Company president Jerry Foster said a single unit can generate 6,500 to 11,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per year.

“This unit will not single-handedly take Tradition Aviation off the grid,” Foster said. “It's going to take a percentage of their costs down and at the same time allows them to have something visual.”

Nelson projects that the turbines — Tradition Aviation will install two to four — will put a serious dent in the power the company uses to light its five large hangars, each of which has up to 40 lights, she said.

The company looked into solar, but decided against it, she said.

“It wasn't the best thing for the airport; it's not best for us,” Nelson said. “We have the water suppression system in the ceiling, (so) I don't' really want something on the roof. This was free-standing.”

So, how can such a comparatively small device — each set of blades is about 9 feet in diameter, Foster said — generate that much power?

Wind-solar hybrids are not new, said Ron Stimmel, who is small systems manager for the American Wind Energy Association, the industry's main trade group.

They account for about 90 percent of all residential-scale turbines, he said.

But, while most residential and industrial-scale turbines, such as the ones in the San Gorgonio Pass at the west end of the Coachella Valley, are designed on a horizontal axis, the Side-Winder is designed on a vertical axis, Foster said.

The blades are mounted on a vertical pole and turn around it, like an eggbeater.

It's quieter than a horizontal turbine, and the small solar unit provides extra power, Foster said.

“For (a horizontal turbine) to work efficiently, it needs to be high up in the air, 60 to 100 feet. It needs to have clean air,” he said. “A vertical axis is more efficient when you bring it lower to the round. It can work off wind coming from any direction. It will capture it and will start to generate energy.”

Working on such “dirty air” means a vertical axis can spin more hours a day, he said, and it's a good match for small businesses and industrial sites, like Jackie Cochran, which see a lot of low-level turbulence.

The Side-Winder can range in height from 30 feet to 50 feet, he said.

Two-West also set out from the beginning to come up with a product that would cater to small businesses and other organizations that want to market themselves to increasingly ecoconscious consumers, Foster said. The turbines can be customized with a company's colors or logo, he said, and organizations can also sell or lease display space on the pole to help offset the costs.

“From a golf course to a (fast food) restaurant, it's amazing how many people are trying to cut down on their carbon footprint and at same time do a campaign on how they're doing it,” he said.

“The Side-Winder — people just physically see it. They see the thing is moving, the thing is turning, the thing is creating energy.”