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<br />Additional Options <br /> <br />Creating incentives: Beyond <br />removing obstacles and enabling <br />,installations to occur on their own, <br />a state or community can create <br />incentives to make small wind turbines <br />a more attractive option for individuals <br />and businesses. These include: ' <br /> <br />. Reducing, or waiving, permit <br />and development impact fees <br />. Fast tracking review periods <br />. Permitting small wind systems by- <br />right in some or all districts to avoid <br />costly and contentious hearings <br /> <br />. Awarding points in performance- <br />based review and green building <br />programs <br />. Awarding density bonuses for <br />developments that reduce or <br />generate> 50% of energy <br />demand on site <br /> <br />Protecting windy areas: A town <br />or state might also anticipate future <br />installations by protecting areas in <br />the community that have exceptionally <br />good wind resources. Local dealers <br />and installers are trained in wind <br />resource assessment and can help <br />locate these areas. <br /> <br />SPECIFICALLY FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS <br /> <br />Federal preemption <br />of home rule for <br />cell phone towers <br />enabled the industry <br />to expand <br />dramatically, which <br />would not have likely <br />occurred without it. <br />Fair zoning for small <br />.. wind turbines could <br />bring similar <br />economic benefits. <br /> <br />. Implement a stand-alone ordinance <br />. specifically to address small wind <br />turbines (see "Appendix," p. 30). <br /> <br />. Expedite processing times by <br />consolidating a jurisdiction's permit <br />review process to as few departments <br />or agencies as possible. <br /> <br />. Encourage permit applicants to <br />notify their neighbors of their proposed <br />i nsta Ilation. <br /> <br />. Educate permit department staff <br />about small wind to ensure safe, fair, <br />expedited, and less costly installations. <br />Demonstration projects offer an <br />excellent educational opportunity. <br />Contact a local dealer to locate a <br />nearby installation. <br /> <br />. Coordinate with neighboring zoning <br />jurisdictions to establish consistent <br />practices, rate schedules, etc. This can <br />be done through Regional Councils of <br />Government or independently, and will <br />save time and money for the town, <br />turbine owner, and installer. <br /> <br />. In the absence of pertinent state <br />legislation, local governments can <br /> <br />overrule neighborhood covenants that <br />unnecessarily restridrenewable energy. <br /> <br />. Initiate a Community Energy Plan to <br />assess the renewable energy potential <br />of a locality and devise strategies for <br />meeting energy goals. (This may intlude <br />implementing arenewable energy <br />overlay zone - see last paragraph.) <br /> <br />. Consider establishing renewable <br />energy overlay zones.18 This policy <br />would be ideally situated in a local <br />government's Comprehensive Plan <br />(or equivalent) that describes a town's <br />future objectives and strategies. <br /> <br />Without proper care however, a. <br />renewable energy overlay zone could <br />inadvertently prevent small wind <br />installations outside the zone where <br />they may be perfectly acceptable.As . <br />a precaution, make the zone sufficiently <br />large and create or maintain a provision <br />that allows small turbines (and other <br />renewables) outside of the zone. It <br />may in fact be easier to identify any <br />areas not suitable for such installations <br />and make distributed renewables an <br />allowed use elsewhere by default. <br /> <br />