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10. Potential of Structural or Electrical Failure: <br />Requiring code compliance and <br />manufacturer drawings should <br />sufficiently balance the public and <br />private needs for an installation to be <br />safe, practical, reliable, and affordable <br />Wind turbines are professionally <br />engineered structures and are designed <br />to withstand decades of near -constant <br />operation (see "Setback Distances and <br />Height" p. 8). They shut down <br />automatically during utility outages in <br />order to protect utility line workers, and <br />will not energize a dead power line. <br />They are also equipped with manual and <br />automatic over -speed protection devices <br />that keep the turbine operating in'a <br />controlled range of speeds. Because of <br />these and other factors, mechanical <br />failures are very rare, especially those <br />that would have an impact on <br />surrounding areas. - <br />But as a precaution, just as for any <br />other allowed structure, the applicant <br />should submit to the zoning board a line <br />drawing of the electrical components, <br />as supplied by the manufacturer, in <br />sufficient detail to allow fora <br />determination that the manner of <br />installation conforms to the National <br />Electrical Code. Doing .so also serves <br />to demonstrate that the installer and <br />manufacturer are engaged in an. <br />evaluation of the suitability.of the site. <br />Though rare, some zoning boards <br />require an engineering analysis of <br />a tower and its foundation, but this <br />is avery costly and often redundant <br />measure. Even more rare is the <br />requirement of an engineer's "wet <br />stam,p," which is a from -scratch <br />calculation performed by a structural <br />engineer of the tower's integrity. Such <br />a study can cost thousands of dollars <br />and serves only to duplicate work that <br />the manufacturer originally performed <br />as a prerequisite for securing liability <br />insurance. <br />Proven Energy, Ltd. manufacturing facility <br />in Scotland, UK <br />10 "Policy Guide on Energy." American Planning <br />Association, April 20D4. <br />http.://www.planning.org/policyguides/pdf/Energy.pdi <br />"Renewable energy . <br />equipment has become <br />more reliable and <br />economical, and <br />installation standards <br />are more professional. " <br />- American Planning <br />Association, 2004.10 <br />Bergey WindPower <br />blade testing <br />A small wind turbine <br />can in fact be one of <br />the more aesthetically <br />pleasing features in a city. <br />Rooftop heating and <br />Ventilation systems, <br />antennas, and other <br />structures found in urban <br />environments usually. <br />reduce any aesthetic <br />impacts from small wind <br />turbines in comparison. <br />