Aternative energy, much-talked about on local, county, state and national levels in recent years, has become an issue in the Souhegan Valley in recent months, with different communities taking vastly different roads on the issue. Amherst, which actively opposed wind turbines last year, has changed its tune and now is proposing a zoning ordinance allowing some, if not all, alternative energy systems. Milford planners are considering regulatory measures regarding wind power, while in Hollis, building and planning officials have embraced the idea. Brookline officials have not had to deal with wind towers.

Last year, a proposal to install wind turbines on private property by a Hickory Lane resident in Amherst was shot down by the town's Planning Department. The resident, Norm Hebert, has subsequently taken the town to court, claiming, in part, that what is not prohibited should be allowed under local zoning.

In filing a lawsuit against the town in September, Hebert and his attorney, Silas Little of Portsmouth, contended that since town ordinances make no mention of wind power towers, they should not be summarily prohibited. Amherst Planning Director Charles Tiedemann responded that wind turbines at the height Hebert had proposed, 110 feet, exceeded town regulations on height limits in residential areas.
Planning Board Chairman Gordon Leedy has said there is an increasing awareness of the benefits of alternative energy nationwide and in particular, wind power, and the town should address the issue. That led to the proposal on this year's warrant.

In Milford, a proposal addressing wind turbines drafted by the Planning Board has been put on hold, pending resolution of HB310, currently in the N.H. House's Municipal and County Government subcommittee.

According to Sarah Marchant, Milford's planning and community development coordinator, the Planning Board had originally sought to put the ordinance proposal before voters in March, but put the plan on hold when the board learned of the statewide law pending before the Legislature. "The Planning Board decided not to go forward this year with the ordinance proposal until HB310 is acted upon," said Marchant, explaining that the local ordinance followed the state bill in terms of allowable decibel limits and height requirements.

"Wind turbines are not not allowed in Milford. It's just that there is no clear process," Marchant said. She knows of no functioning wind turbines in town, though "some interest has been expressed" by residents in recent months. All this leaves Hollis alone in its embrace of wind power. Three wind turbines are up and running in town, the latest of which is just south of the center.

Carroll Spaulding and his wife Barbara Townsend installed a 50-foot wind turbine on their property off Bell Lane last month. "It's been up for only a month, but it's been turning out there," said Spaulding. While Bell Lane is not exactly on a hill, the turbine is on a high plain that is devoid of trees, so the breeze blows by.

Deborah Adams, building/zoning coordinator for the town, said eight years ago one resident installed a wind turbine, then there wasn't much interest until late last year, when two applications were submitted.

"Our ordinances don't prohibit wind turbines, and what doesn't prohibit something, allows it," she said. Adams added that according to her reading of the local statutes, wind turbines are exempt from regulations regarding residential structures, which have height limitations of 38 feet. "Local zoning leaves a lot to our discretion," she said.

Spaulding said he paid somewhat less than $15,000 for the turbine. He needed to dig a hole 6-feet deep by 9-feet square to install the footing, which included seven yards of concrete.

"Location is key. You gotta have the right location," Spaulding said. "It should be not protected by trees. We have open farmland with fields here. The wind didn't blow too hard in December, but it's been blowing pretty good lately."

He said the turbine can produce about 400 kilowatts of power, while the couple uses about 350 kilowatts on average. "It's a small homeowner's unit. It's just something that seemed to me like the thing to do," Spaulding said, while checking out the electric meter on the side of the garage. When more electricity is produced than is used in the house, the meter actually turns backward. That results in an energy credit from the power company, power the couple can use when the wind dies down. Spaulding admits to being off the beaten track with his wind turbine. "You gotta be stupid once in awhile. But it could conceivably take care of all our energy needs," he said. "And it's kind of fun seeing the electric meter run backward."