As the possibilities for harnessing wind energy as a viable renewable energy source and job provider sweep across West Michigan, local governments face the challenges of establishing zoning ordinances that regulate the use of residential and commercial wind turbines.

This presentation from the U.S. Dept. of Energy goes through the importance of tower height in small wind energy.

Click here to download a PDF version of this presentation from the USDoE website. 

The National Association of Counties is putting on the following webinar:
Wind Power: Turning a Breeze into Cash for Your Community
Monday, November 3 2008 - 2:00pm – 4:00pm Eastern

The South Dakota Public Utilities Commission will host an interconnection workshop March 18-19, 2008, in Pierre. The workshop will be held at the Kings Inn Hotel and Conference Center, 110 E. Sioux Ave. This will be the first of several workshops designed to develop a statewide best practices model for connecting small generating facilities to the electric grid.

On Thursday, January 17th, 2008 at 1:00 pm EST the American Solar Energy Society’s Small Wind Division will host the first in a series of webinars on zoning for small wind. This webinar will offer interested small wind installers, potential buyers, advocates, and decision-makers, and others the opportunity to learn about issues related to the zoning of small wind systems (up to 100 kW).

This session focused on providing practical information and advice on addressing barriers to home and farm wind projects. Topics include: when and how to approach local boards and state agencies to secure permits, how to build support for your installation, and tips on working with your installer and utility to interconnect your wind system.

This publication from the National Wind Coordinating Collaborative is available from their website.

This model ordinance for small wind systems comes from Renew Wisconsin. Click here to download the model ordinance.

This publication from NYSERDA outlines considerations for ordinances related to wind energy. Click here to download the document from the NYSERDA web site.