LOCATION/TYPE

NEWS HOME

[ exact phrase in "" • results by date ]

[ Google-powered • results by relevance ]


Archive
RSS

Add NWW headlines to your site (click here)

Get weekly updates

WHAT TO DO
when your community is targeted

RSS

RSS feeds and more

Keep Wind Watch online and independent!

Donate via Paypal

Donate via Stripe

Selected Documents

All Documents

Research Links

Alerts

Press Releases

FAQs

Campaign Material

Photos & Graphics

Videos

Allied Groups

News Watch Home

County approves residential wind turbine usage 

Credit:  by Long Hwa-Shu Special to The News-Sun, newssun.suntimes.com 16 March 2011 ~~

The Lake County Board adopted an amendment to an ordinance Tuesday that enables wind turbine towers to be erected in unincorporated Lake County to generate electricity. It applies to both residential and non-residential areas, meaning homeowners may, in effect, produce electricity in their back yard for their own use.

On Feb. 8, the board voted 17-5 against a proposed ordinance that would have allowed the creation of large wind farms. The negative vote was out of concern of the growing population density in the county and to protect the public from the noise and shadow flicker large wind farms may create.

Significantly, under the amended ordinance the county has raised the allowable height of a wind turbine tower to 200 feet from ground up – a 25-foot increase from the originally proposed 175 feet.

The ordinance also requires that turbines mounted on buildings not exceed 15 feet above the highest point of a building. In no case it can exceed 45 feet above a building’s average ground elevation in a residential area, according to regulations.

The ordinance also dictates that the blade tip of a tower-mounted turbine maintain a ground clearance of at least 25 feet at its lowest point.

Jonathan Nieuwsma, business development director of Heston Wind, who spoke at the meeting before the amendment’s passage, said for turbine towers to be efficient in generating electricity he would like to see no height restrictions.

Carole Dorge, principal of North County Development Group in Grayslake, called a setback requirement in the ordinance “too restrictive.”

The ordinance calls for tower-mounted turbines to be set back by a minimum distance equal to 1.5 times the turbine height from the base of the tower to property lines.

Her criticism was shared by Paul LaBarbera, owner of Magitek Energy Solutions in Volo, who labeled the requirement “a big issue” facing his potential clients.

“It prohibits, instead of encouraging people to use wind energy,” said Dorge, pointing out the need to generate power with wind efficiently and economically.

Perhaps as an incentive for people to join in the green revolution, the ordinance permits wind turbine owners to sell excess electricity to an electric utility company. That requires a license from the Lake County Planning, Building & Development Department, according to Eric Waggoner, acting director.

“So far, no one has applied for a permit to build a turbine tower yet. We’ve had inquiries from the industry, but we expect to issue some permits before the end of the year,” he said.

Pat Carey, a board member from District 11 and a former Grayslake mayor, assured the audience that the ordinance as passed is “a living document,” subject to future changes.

“We don’t have a history to guide us, but we’re willing to make changes from suggestions from the public,” she said.

Source:  by Long Hwa-Shu Special to The News-Sun, newssun.suntimes.com 16 March 2011

This article is the work of the source indicated. Any opinions expressed in it are not necessarily those of National Wind Watch.

The copyright of this article resides with the author or publisher indicated. As part of its noncommercial educational effort to present the environmental, social, scientific, and economic issues of large-scale wind power development to a global audience seeking such information, National Wind Watch endeavors to observe “fair use” as provided for in section 107 of U.S. Copyright Law and similar “fair dealing” provisions of the copyright laws of other nations. Send requests to excerpt, general inquiries, and comments via e-mail.

Wind Watch relies entirely
on User Funding
   Donate via Paypal
(via Paypal)
Donate via Stripe
(via Stripe)

Share:

e-mail X FB LI TG TG Share


News Watch Home

Get the Facts
CONTACT DONATE PRIVACY ABOUT SEARCH
© National Wind Watch, Inc.
Use of copyrighted material adheres to Fair Use.
"Wind Watch" is a registered trademark.

 Follow:

Wind Watch on X Wind Watch on Facebook

Wind Watch on Linked In Wind Watch on Mastodon