Sustainable Pulse Profile: John Hippensteel

Energy as art may be a tough idea to swallow, as few images could seem less artful than power lines, sub-stations, and coal plants. But Door County’s John Hippensteel is leading a charge to change that.

John Hippensteel hopes to bring renewable energy to the Door Peninsula.

Hippensteel owns Lake Michigan Wind and Sun Ltd., located just south of Sturgeon Bay, a leader in providing small wind turbine and renewable energy systems specializing in solar electric, solar thermal and wind energy systems. This year the company won the “Market Provider of The Year” award from Focus On Energy, a state organization that works to promote renewable energy.

Started by Mick Sagrillo in 1981, Hippensteel and his wife Ann purchased the company in 1997, and it has literally blossomed under their leadership. Lake Michigan Wind & Sun has added a new system to their repertoire, described by Hippensteel as “an art project that also can produce energy.” He is referring to the company’s Solar Flairs – aesthetically pleasing and functional photovoltaic systems. The goal of these systems is to add beauty while promoting public awareness of the need for renewable energy systems.

“They look more like Poinsettias, but they track the sun like sunflowers.” Hippensteel explained. The free-standing sculptures look like large metal flowers and are available in a variety of designs. By tracking the sun all day, the Solar Flairs can produce 25 percent more energy than traditional solar panels, which only face south. They have successfully installed two of these arrays in the Green Bay Botanical Garden and another set at a water treatment plant run by the regional municipality of Peel, Ontario, Canada. Currently, they are working on installing three solar flairs outside the Sturgeon Bay Fire Department.

Hippensteel obtained his engineering degree from the University of Minnesota and is the only registered professional engineer in Wisconsin who has a NABCEP (North American Board of Certified Engineers) certification in both solar electric and solar thermal systems.

Hippensteel’s Solar Flairs.

His occupation pervades all aspects of his life. “My work is pretty much my life,” he said, “and I work to promote renewable energy.”

Around the house: “Our home is a little laboratory.” Hippensteel said. Their lab includes several photovoltaic panels, three thermal systems, and five wind turbines in their backyard. “We definitely produce more energy than we need, and what we don’t use we send back to the utility grid.”

Getting there: “When my son was 15, I told him the only way he could get a driver’s license was if he made his own fuel,” Hippensteel explained. To any other teenager this might be the ultimate no, but the Hippensteels actually made their own bio-diesel for a few years, which they used to fuel their cars.

In the garden: “We grow standard stuff for our own consumption,” Hippensteel said. This includes beans, peas, tomatoes, carrots, squash, asparagus, rhubarb and more. He is also working on transitioning 40 acres of land behind their house into an organic farm. “It would be great to grow wheat and have it ground locally.”

Other Involvements: Hippensteel is a member of the Community Wind Energy Group, based in Sturgeon Bay. Also, he and his wife Ann participated in the Midwest Renewable Energy Fair held in Custer, WI, where they taught six classes promoting renewable energy systems.