Is wind energy in Hutchinson's future?

Is there a backyard wind turbine in your future? There could be, if conditions are right. But don’t go into it expecting to make money with a small turbine.

Hutchinson officials want to be prepared if, or when, residents start requesting permission to erect such structures once a local moratorium expires in June. For that reason, the City Council and members of the Planning Commission and Utilities Commission came together Tuesday to learn more about writing ordinances to regulate wind turbine construction within city limits.

Brian Antonich, a program analyst for Minneapolis-based nonprofit Windustry, led the session. His organization’s goal is to provide wind energy information to anyone exploring wind energy as an alternative to traditional electrical generation methods. There is potential here for wind generation, he said.

Regulations could include setting up zoning districts where certain sizes of turbines and towers would be allowed. Commercial-size turbines are usually restricted to agricultural or industrial zones, not residential areas. That’s because they generate about 50 decibels of noise and require setbacks from property lines of about 750 feet. Turbine blades also can create disconcerting shadow flickers as they rotate on sunny days.

The smaller turbines also require setbacks of slightly more distance than the height of the tower. For that reason, only larger lots of at least half an acre are typical candidates for a wind turbine. Such turbine projects are often a $40,000 to $60,000 project, and are rarely a money-making venture for their owners, Antonich said.

Not every wind energy project has to be a large cluster of massive 260-foot high towers, with blades 100-feet long or more, spread over miles of farm fields, each capable of generating more than 1.6 megawatts of electricity. There are medium-sized towers at about 132 feet with 66-foot blades that can generate .5 megawatts. Smaller 100-foot towers with 12-foot blades can generate 10 kilowatts of electricity.

Hutchinson, through its city-owned Hutchinson Utilities, could find the larger turbines attractive as an alternate form of generation. Smaller turbines may have a place in certain sections of Hutchinson and attract environmentally minded homeowners and small business owners. Medium turbines may be attractive to local industries looking to cut their electric bill.

“If your city is serious about setting up a project, it is good to have an ordinance in place first,” Antonich advised.

City regulations also need to address potential problems caused by turbines, including interference with television, AM radio signals, telecommunication signals and microwave towers.

Safety standards, including certified engineering plans, guy wire markings, and setbacks need to be included, as well as regulations of tower and turbine colors, limits to signs on towers, lighting to Federal Aviation Administration standards and rules for how towers are decommissioned, replaced or abandoned.

For more about wind energy and Windustry, visit the Web site: www.windustry.org.

(Terry Davis is a staff writer for the Hutchinson Leader. He can be reached at davis@hutchinsonleader.com)