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<br />Attachment A <br /> <br />Model Amendment to a Zoning Ordinance or By-law: <br />Allowing Wind Facilities by Special Permit <br /> <br />Prepared by: <br />Massachusetts Division of Energy Resources <br />Massachusetts. Executive Office of Environmental Affairs <br /> <br />11.0 Purpose <br /> <br />The purpose ofthis by-law is to provide by special permit for the construction and operation <br />of wind facilities and to provide standards for the placement, design, construction, <br />monitoring, modification and removal of wind facilities that address public safety, minimize <br />impacts on scenic, natural and historic resources of the city or town and provide adequate <br />financial assurance for decommissioning. <br /> <br />1.1 Applicability <br />This section applies to all utility-scale and on-site wind facilities proposed to be <br />constructed after the effective date ofthis section. It does not apply to single stand-alone <br />turbines under 60 kilowatts of rated nameplate capacity. <br /> <br />Any physical modifications to existing wind facilities that materially alters the type or <br />increases the size of such facilities or other equipment shall require a special permit. <br /> <br />I 2.0 Definitions <br /> <br />Utility-Scale Wind Facility: A commercial wind facility, where the primary use of the <br />facility is electrical generation to be sold to the wholesale electricity markets. <br /> <br />On-Site Wind Facility: A wind project, which is located at a commercial, industrial, <br />agricultural, institutional, or public facility that will consume more than 50% of the <br />electricity generated by the project on-site. <br /> <br />Height: The height of a wind turbine measured from natural grade to the tip of the rotor <br />blade at its highest point, or blade-tip height. <br /> <br />Rated Nameplate Capacity: The maximum rated output of electric power production <br />equipment. This output is typiCally specified by the manufacturer with a "nameplate" on the <br />equipment. <br /> <br />Special Permit Granting Authority: The special permit granting authority shall be the <br />board of selectmen, city council, board of appeals, planning board, or zoning administrator as <br />designated by zoning ordinance or by-law for the issuance of special permits, or by this <br />section for the issuance of special permits to construct and operate wind facilities. <br /> <br />-29- <br />