Published by Green by Design under Renewable Energy

By Amy Berry

The US small wind market grew by 78% last year, compared to only 14% in 2007. That is a increase of 17.3 megawatts in the U.S. for 2008, according to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA).  With the prospect of an additional 30-fold increase over the next 5 years.

Homeowners, farmers, businesses, schools, museums and public gardens are among the major customers of on-site wind turbines. The benefits of installing a local wind turbine are many and include reducing your energy bill, reducing your carbon footprint and environmental impact, gaining some (or all) independence from the local power company and visually showing your support for the environment.

Unfortunately for many folks who are interested in installing small wind turbines they are forced to go through a permit process that is not so cheery.  But with a little knowledge sharing, it doesn’t have to be that way.

Why is it so hard?

The wind power revolution has caught a lot of slow moving and methodical planning committees and local town councils off guard.  Many don’t have a small wind ordinance in place and those that do are often saddled with ordinances that are based on protecting residents from the ills associated with outdated wind turbine technology- such as noise and appearance. It was easier ten or twenty years ago to mandate that all wind turbines be placed on lot sizes of six acres or more, so the only people being “bothered” by them would be the owners.

With the advancements in small wind technology, the market is now full of more aesthetically pleasing options that don’t have to make much noise at all.  For those without small wind ordinances in place, the task of creating a new ordinance can be daunting and time consuming, especially given the current economic issues that have resulted in job cuts at many of the organizations responsible for putting the ordinances together.

How a Small Wind Ordinance Can Help

Installing a structure like a wind turbine, be it a traditional horizontal propeller on a pole or a unique vertical axis design, requires guidelines to protect the owners and their neighbors.  While technology has improved aesthetics and noise issues, not all turbines are created equal.  Without small wind standards in place (AWEA promises they will be done soon) there are still some turbines on the market that have poor quality and safety issues on top of creating quite a racquet when spinning.

The right kind of small wind ordinance will ensure the wind turbines that are being installed are safe, quiet, and meet the aesthetic/height requirements of the specific community.  The first two are by far the most important and impartial guidelines.  The latter is open to serious interpretation but if crafted properly can open a community to wind power that otherwise would have shut the door.

Most small wind ordinances cover the following:

• Easement- This mandates enough room on all sides of the turbine to protect from a mechanical failure, although proper engineering design should eliminate any turbines from falling over.
• Height- National code is 35’, some communities follow this rule for wind turbines in urban and suburban areas and allow for greater heights in more rural areas
• Acreage- How large the lot size must be to install a wind turbine. With easements solving safety issues, this can be a way to deter wind turbines unnecessarily.
• Noise- Often defined by a decibel reading. Standard is less than 50 decibels and less than 35 decibels in residential areas.
• Quantities per lot- Out of fear of small wind farms popping up in residential communities, wind ordinances will often have a limit to how many turbines can be installed on a private lot.  This is not a safety issue granted all easement rules are followed and limits the potential of wind power.

As you might have noticed, it is very easy to set limits in each of these requirements that would severely limit the installation of wind turbines.   Requiring too large an acreage or too low of a height requirement will have serious implications.

How to Move Forward

Many communities across the country have small wind ordinances.  We recommend local planning boards, municipalities and HOAs that don’t yet have them start with a template and revise according to their needs.

Many states have passed state laws banning local communities from preventing the installation of small wind turbines.  For these areas, it is especially important that they have small wind ordinances in place to prevent expensive and time consuming lawsuits from residents.  A small wind ordinance template is available here, based on a recent ordinance completed by Carson City, Nevada.  This is an historic town with a diverse mix of lot sizes and development density so it is very adaptable to a wide range of locations.

If you are interested in installing a wind turbine and fear the permitting process, start with educating your representatives and sharing the template with them.  If you are responsible for your community’s small wind permitting needs, review the template and define the areas that will be most important to your constituents.

Wind power is an amazing source of clean energy.  With a little education and understanding of the issues it will continue to grow and take root across the country.

Amy Berry can be found on twitter @wind2power tweeting about small wind power and the Windspire wind turbine.