The Great Lakes Zephyr - Wind Energy & Hydrogen Journal

AWEA Small Wind News and Alerts:
The AWEA Small Wind News and Alerts list is a timely source for information updates, news clips and action alerts focusing on small wind energy. This list is announcement-only with low-traffic, weekly mailings.

Subscribe: awea-smallwind-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Group home page: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/awea-smallwind

Post message: awea-smallwind@yahoogroups.com [message posting moderated by AWEA]

Unsubscribe: awea-smallwind-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
------------------------------------------------------------------------

There is 1 message in this issue.

Topics in this digest:

1. NEW HANDBOOK CLEARS THE AIR FOR SMALL WIND TURBINES
From: "awea_smallwind_alert" awea_smallwind_alert@yahoo.com


________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Message: 1
Date: Tue, 30 Sep 2003 23:11:54 -0000
From: "awea_smallwind_alert" awea_smallwind_alert@yahoo.com
Subject: NEW HANDBOOK CLEARS THE AIR FOR SMALL WIND TURBINES

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
September 29, 2003

CONTACT:
Thom Wallace
Office of AWEA Small Wind Advocate
206-267-2215 / cell 509-520-4970
smallwind@awea.org

NEW HANDBOOK CLEARS THE AIR FOR SMALL WIND TURBINES
Authoritative guide clarifies siting and permitting issues, describes
lessons learned in California

The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) and the California Energy
Commission have released the most comprehensive guide to date for
small wind turbine owners and local officials seeking to understand
and improve permitting regulations affecting small wind energy
systems.

Prospective turbine owners and planning officials alike will find
this handbook, "Permitting Small Wind Turbines: Learning from the
California Experience," essential reading. It is the first
publication to explain in detail how California's groundbreaking
state law (Assembly Bill 1207) establishing permitting standards for
small wind energy systems applies at local levels. The guide also
directs turbine owners to special state incentives that bring down
the costs of small-scale renewable energy installations.

"The state of California has sent a clear message that it wants
small
wind turbines to help shore up our energy supply. This handbook will
help wind turbine owners negotiate the local permitting process and
let county and other local officials know what they can do to make
that process easier," notes Bob Therkelsen, Executive Director of
the
California Energy Commission.

The handbook is also a valuable resource for counties and residents
outside California because it provides up-to-date information to
address the most common issues raised in response to small wind
turbine installations, including visual impacts, acoustics, concern
for wildlife, and property values. It concludes with a model small
wind zoning ordinance AWEA recommends all counties across the country
adopt, and provides recommendations for best practices with a list
of "Do's and Don'ts" for counties reviewing small
wind permit
applications.

Small wind turbine owners have often faced daunting tasks in sorting
through an array of siting considerations and confusing regulations,
having to seek out various authorities for information. AWEA and the
Energy Commission hope that this handbook will help turbine owners
and planning officials integrate small wind energy systems into
communities across the nation. As the recent blackouts in the
Northeast make clear, distributed generation solutions are needed to
help ease congestion on transmission grids.

"This handbook fills a long-standing need for information about
small
wind turbines and how local agencies make sure prospective turbine
owners are treated fairly in obtaining permits for their machines.
The California Energy Commission deserves a lot of credit for taking
the initiative to make it happen," comments AWEA Deputy Executive
Director Tom Gray.


- MORE -


- pg. 2 -

The landmark handbook is built on lessons learned in a state that has
made significant efforts to promote small wind turbine development.
It uses specific case studies and county ordinances to illustrate the
progress that has been made, highlight personal experiences, and
recommend solutions that could simplify permitting processes in the
future.

Noteworthy sections include:
• A concise review of the most common issues neighbors raise
about small wind turbines, with documented facts that refute the
myths, including web links to crucial reference publications;
• A step-by-step checklist for obtaining a permit for a small
wind energy system in California;
• Explanation of permitting ordinances for small wind systems
in select California counties;
• Descriptions of policies that have proven both productive and
counterproductive for small wind development; and
• An extensive reference section that includes contact
information and links for county officials, state programs that offer
incentives for small wind turbines, wind maps and other resources,
turbine dealers and manufacturers, and advocacy groups that promote
residential energy systems.

As part of the project, AWEA prepared a ranking of windy acreage by
county and zip code based on the new wind maps developed by the
California Energy Commission. "Permitting Small Wind
Turbines" was
written by AWEA's Small Wind Advocate Team, in cooperation with
Northwest Sustainable Energy for Economic Development (NW SEED).

• The publication is available online at:
http://www.awea.org/smallwind/documents/permitting.pdf

• To order printed copies of the handbook, contact:
California Energy Commission,
916-654-4058
renewable@energy.state.ca.us

Since 1974 the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) has advocated
the development of wind energy as a reliable, environmentally
superior energy alternative in the United States and around the world.

- END -