Local Governments Key to Distributed Renewable Technology Successes
By Peter Asmus
When Yuly Springer moved to the Central Valley this past July,
she got excited about taking her energy future into her own hands.
The rolling blackouts that had hit California last winter and spring
convinced her that generating at least some of her own power seemed
like the civic thing to do. She also wanted to help the environment
by displacing the fossil fuels used to generate the majority of
California’s electricity with her own on-site renewable energy
system.
Since there is plenty of sunshine in the Valley, and nice strong
evening breezes, she was convinced that a 1 kilowatt solar photovoltaic
(PV)/ wind hybrid system offered by Alternative Power Systems of
Carlsbad for under $4,000 was the way to go.
Since the California Energy Commission offers buy-down rebates
that can cover half of the original price tag of solar and small
wind systems, Springer was happy to get a $1,800 check from the
state through its emerging renewable energy buy-down rebate program.
Though the Valley regularly sees temperatures over 100° F
due to intense sunlight, Springer was apparently the first resident
in her city to install a solar PV system. Resistance continued even
after Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) told the City it had
no control over whether Springer installed the solar panels.
In October, four solar PV panels that generate 480 watts of electricity
were finally mounted on her rooftop. But Springer encountered even
stronger opposition from local planning officials to her small wind
turbine. Her application to install a 400-watt small wind turbine
was rejected without any clear indication of why.
Springer took her small wind turbine with her to a city council
meeting to plead with local officials to allow her to do her part
to help solve the energy crunch. The mayor and other local officials
were surprised to see how small the turbine actually was —
and promised to reexamine her application.
Peter Ruggerello, director of the Fresno Permit Assistance Center,
one of 13 state centers authorized by Governor Davis to assist in
the siting of new electricity generation, has been assisting Springer
in making her case. "The process for permitting one of these
facilities can be onerous," he said. "We are here to help
applicants make a better case for their renewable systems and help
educate the local jurisdiction, which, of course, has the final
say on these permits."
Local Government’s Role Increasing
Springer’s experience is not unusual. Many local governments
are not used to serving as the siting agency for unfamiliar energy
generation technologies, particularly small wind turbine systems.
Amador and Calaveras counties have been particularly difficult when
it comes to siting small wind turbines, said Rich Sherman, vice
president of Sutter Creek-based Renewable Technologies, Inc.
"Local officials are terrified of a small wind turbine, but
have no problem when it comes to allowing somebody to scrape a bunch
of top soil with heavy machinery, generating dust and all kinds
of other environmental impacts," said Sherman. Small wind turbines
have been labeled everything from "windmill socialism"
to a growing commercial enterprise that could transform every home
into a power plant, he said.
In Los Angeles County, the same kind of special use permit needed
to permit the construction of an oil refinery is needed for a small
wind turbine at a cost of up to $10,000. Charles Wallasch of Acton
was recently told that changing the local Los Angeles County ordinance
would take two years. If his property was located 30 miles north
in Kern County, the building permit would cost only $400 and he
could get it in just two hours.
Perhaps the primary obstacle raised by local planning and permitting
agencies are the impacts of small wind turbine towers on view sheds.
Most local governments still impose a 35-foot height restriction
on structures located on private property.
This common zoning limit dates back to the turn of the century
and was based on the height that early fire engine water pumps could
reach. Most small wind turbines are far larger than Springer’s
ultra-small machine.
Generally speaking, the ideal size for most rural electricity consumers
is a 10 kW wind turbine. The ideal height in terms of power generation
is 80 feet. At that height, this distributed renewable energy system
gains access to the best wind fuel while avoiding the turbulence
created by the ground, buildings and trees. These wind turbines
are still tiny in comparison to the utility-scale machines now used
in "wind farms," where huge turbines may be as large as
2 MW and stand on towers as tall as the Statue of Liberty.
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This hybrid small
wind turbine/solar PV system was installed in Winters on the
Solano County side of Putah Creek. The permit ($895) was approved
in less than a week. The system was sold and installed by Renewable
Technologies, Inc. (http://www.renewable.com).
Dr. Edward Dawkins
also purchased an electric car that he plugs into his distributed
renewable system. See story below for more on renewables.
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Some Locals See the Light
Some local governments, such as Alameda and Marin Counties and
the cities of Oakland, San Jose and Santa Monica, have actually
passed emergency measures to reduce the cost and time involved with
siting distributed renewable energy systems this past spring.
Enacted in May, the City of Oakland’s new emergency ordinance
limits review of solar PV and small wind turbine applications to
five days and waives application fees that can range from $397 to
$1,088. The language of the ordinance, however, is geared toward
solar PV systems. In reality, few, if any small wind turbines, will
be encouraged by the ordinance.
San Diego County has also streamlined the permitting process for
solar PV systems, waiving a $100 application fee and eliminating
other costly paperwork burdens. These moves on the part of the local
government paved the way for developers to offer solar panels in
new homes. These changes in San Diego County regulations are predicted
to increase the number of solar permits from a dozen annually to
250 this year and perhaps as many as 1,000 annually, according to
local county supervisor Ron Roberts. The City of Santa Cruz has
also reduced fees associated with installing solar or wind systems.
Marin County’s new Building Energy Efficient Structures Today
(BEST) provides technical assistance, fee reductions, expedited
permitting and rebates in addition to the State incentive program
to encourage efficiency and renewable on-site generations
In terms of small wind turbines, the most wind-friendly local governments
are Solano, Kern, Santa Clara and San Bernardino counties.
New State Law Will Help Small Wind Market
To respond to the zoning and other impediments many California
local governments have placed in the way of developing a robust
small wind turbine market in California, the nation’s largest
manufacturer of small wind turbines — Bergey Wind Power of
Norman, Oklahoma — sponsored AB 1207 (Longville), which was
just signed into law.
The bill authorizes local governments to adopt ordinances that
facilitate the siting of small wind turbines by doing away with
archaic limits on this promising solution to power supply in California.
If local governments fail to enact their own wind power-friendly
ordinances by July 1, 2002, a default ordinance takes effect that
fast-tracks approval of a small wind turbine that meets a variety
of conditions. For example, on parcels of 1 to 5 acres, tower heights
can reach 65 feet; for parcels above 5 acres, an 80-foot tower height
is authorized under the default ordinance.
The default ordinance will remain in effect until July 1, 2005.
Other measures signed into law that provide incentives for distributed
renewable energy systems are the following:
- ABXX 48 (Wright) — allows local governments to adopt building
standards requiring solar PV and solar water heating systems in
new buildings. This bill also provides a loan program for portion
of solar PV system costs.
- SBXX 17 (Brulte) — provides a tax credit, which can be
applied in conjunction with the California Energy Commission’s
emerging buy-down rebate, to reimburse up to 15% of the costs
of purchase and installation of solar energy systems.
- SBXX 82 (Murray) — mandates installation of solar systems
on all state buildings and facilities.
Caption for PV/Wind photo
This hybrid small wind turbine/solar PV system was installed in
Winters on the Solano County side of Putah Creek. The permit ($895)
was approved in less than a week. The system was sold and installed
by Renewable Technologies, Inc. (http://www.renewable.com).
Dr. Edward Dawkins also purchased an electric car that he plugs
into his distributed renewable system. See story below for more
on renewables.
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