Energy Center

helps draft

wind-energy

policy for state
By Scott Nicholson
nicholson@wataugademocrat.com

Appalachian State University’s Energy Center helped craft a model wind-energy ordinance for use across the state.

The ASU Energy Center, which helped draft a county-level ordinance in 2006, was part of a Wind Working Group that included North Carolina State University and the N.C. Sustainable Energy Association. The Watauga County ordinance had similar features to the state model, said Brent Summerville of the ASU Energy Center.

“It’s similar, because it allows small wind turbines to be a permitted use and it goes on to lay out the rules for a large-scale wind farms,” Summerville said. “The Wind Working Group is also involved in the coastal issues so it involved stakeholders statwide so it could be used in any county, to show those counties how to pursue responsible wind energy development.”

The model ordinance took about a year to draft and was timely because of an increase of interest in wind power, partially due to rising petroleum prices. “We’re seeing an interest in the mountains and coast,” Summerville said. “The ASU Energy Center contributed information on the western wind potential and the N.C. Solar Center at N C State handled the coastal issues.”

Summerville said several counties had asked about a model wind ordinance and Summerville said a wind project had been proposed in Carteret County. Four counties currently have an ordinance as well as one town, Kill Devil Hills.

The model is flexible and designed as a starting point, with definitions of wind systems and terms that allow local governments to determine their own restrictions. “The details can be changed however they see fit, we sort of set forth what we thought were good minimum requirements,” Summerville said.

“Developing a wind ordinance can be challenging for local communities because the technology is new to North Carolina,” said Paul Quinlan, Senior Policy Associate at the NC Sustainable Energy Association. “The model ordinance assists communities in understanding key issues that need to be addressed in order to protect public safety and welfare.”

The group encourages each community to modify the model ordinance to meet their needs. Since the state’s primary wind resources reside in mountain and coastal counties, the model does not consider or address regional variations, so communities should consider important local factors, such as severe weather events, when developing their local ordinance.

The model ordinance doesn’t suggest height or setback requirements, but instead has tables that allow counties to define small, medium or large wind systems. In Watauga County’s ordinance, wind turbines of 20 kilowatt hours or fewer and less than 135 feet in height are allowed with a permit but no board review.

Larger-scale projects must be approved by the planning board.

A PDF copy of the Model Wind Ordinance for Wind Energy Facilities in North Carolina can be downloaded at www.ncsc.ncsu.edu.