Wind turbines take hold in Md. with ordinance in Carroll Co.
Baltimore Examiner|Mike Silvestri|May 12, 2008
Carroll studied the turbines and last week became the first in the state to enact an ordinance authorizing small turbines, limiting landowners to two 150-foot-tall systems per property. Officials hope many more people in Carroll and throughout the state take the opportunity to cut down on ever increasing electricity bills. ...Carroll Chief of Staff Steven Powell cautioned residents from hastily buying a turbine without checking to see if their property is well-matched. "Before someone makes a major investment, it's an e-mail or a call to make sure it's even practical."
Carroll studied the turbines and last week became the first in the state to enact an ordinance authorizing small turbines, limiting landowners to two 150-foot-tall systems per property. Officials hope many more people in Carroll and throughout the state take the opportunity to cut down on ever increasing electricity bills. ...Carroll Chief of Staff Steven Powell cautioned residents from hastily buying a turbine without checking to see if their property is well-matched. "Before someone makes a major investment, it's an e-mail or a call to make sure it's even practical."
Tom Williams wants wind turbines on Carroll County lawns.
He owns Freedom Energy Solutions LLC, which is based in Westminster and builds wind turbines for landowners, and he was one of the first Carroll residents to urge the county late last year to include turbines in its zoning regulations. With ever increasing electricity bills, more and more residents are turning to turbines to offset costs.
But county officials at the time, like most in Maryland, hadn't even thought about wind turbines.
Carroll studied the turbines and last week became the first in the state to enact an ordinance authorizing small turbines, limiting landowners to two 150-foot-tall systems per property. Officials hope many more people in Carroll and throughout …
... more [truncated due to possible copyright]Tom Williams wants wind turbines on Carroll County lawns.
He owns Freedom Energy Solutions LLC, which is based in Westminster and builds wind turbines for landowners, and he was one of the first Carroll residents to urge the county late last year to include turbines in its zoning regulations. With ever increasing electricity bills, more and more residents are turning to turbines to offset costs.
But county officials at the time, like most in Maryland, hadn't even thought about wind turbines.
Carroll studied the turbines and last week became the first in the state to enact an ordinance authorizing small turbines, limiting landowners to two 150-foot-tall systems per property. Officials hope many more people in Carroll and throughout the state take the opportunity to cut down on ever increasing electricity bills.
Commissioner Julia Gouge said Carroll's ordinance would serve as a pilot program for the rest of the state to follow.
While turbines have grown hugely popular in the western U.S., peppering the California coastline, only two dozen stand in Maryland, mostly through conditional permits on the Eastern Shore. But half of those have been built in the past six months, said Crissy Godfrey, wind program manager for the Maryland Energy Administration.
And with counties beginning to build turbines into their zoning, she expected the energy systems to grow more prominent.
"California had developed a state model zoning ordinance that essentially counties can model," Godfrey said. "County ordinances cannot further burden landowners with additional requirements to install these systems, thus promoting small wind development."
The energy administration also began offering grants in November 2007 to help encourage residents to buy small turbines, which can cost about $12,000.
The administration also created state wind maps so citizens can check to see how much wind on average blows by their property at different heights - an estimate to determine if a turbine would be useful.
In Carroll, wind 150 feet off the ground in most areas averaged less than 15 mph, and the northeast and southwest areas were windiest; Frederick, Cumberland and land near water are most suitable for turbines, according to the maps.
Carroll Chief of Staff Steven Powell cautioned residents from hastily buying a turbine without checking to see if their property is well-matched. "Before someone makes a major investment, it's an e-mail or a call to make sure it's even practical."