Renewable energy ordinance passed in Naperville, IL

Original article: http://napervillesun.suntimes.com/news/2985851-418/wind-council-ordinance-systems-solar.html

By Jenette Sturges

jsturges@stmedianetwork.com


Last Modified: Dec 23, 2010 03:12AM


There was a lot of wind blowing through the council chambers Tuesday night, but after an hour and a half’s discussion, council members finally agreed — small wind turbines are in.

The Naperville City Council voted 6-3 Tuesday to approve an ordinance that adds a Small Wind and Solar Energy Systems chapter to the city’s code book.

The new ordinance permits small wind roof-mounted turbines in commercial and industrial districts and ground-mounted wind systems in industrial districts. Both ground and roof-mounted turbines are allowed in all other zoning districts — including residential neighborhoods — so long as owners are willing to have their proposed turbines vetted through the city’s lengthy conditional use process.

“I think we made the right decision in not eliminating it from the residential areas, but to take each individual case as it comes along,” said Mayor A. George Pradel. “Because we don’t even know how much interest there is in it or how viable it is for the area.”

The conditional use process, which requires a hearing before the Plan Commission and City Council approval before a turbine could be installed, would give the city and nearby neighbors opportunity to weigh in on individual proposals.

Two options were presented to the council Tuesday night, both more restrictive than the ordinance finally passed. One proposed wind ordinance would have prohibited wind systems entirely from Naperville until they could be studied further, and the other prohibited wind systems in residential districts.

Both also include a plethora of other restrictions for wind turbines and solar panels, including height, setbacks, signage and color.

But council members ultimately came down in favor of wind, or at least considering different wind systems in an effort to spur further improvement of the technology.

“We need to put the issue out there to challenge people on the issue of sound,” said Councilman Doug Krause. “We could still be using Apple IIe computers, but things change. We’re looking for something that’s compact, that’s quiet, and if you don’t challenge them, it’s not going to happen.”

Exactly what criteria the Plan Commission and council will use to determine if a wind system is appropriate for Naperville residences was not decided upon, but guidelines established in a previous version of the ordinance included 60-foot height restrictions and a setback 1.1 times the height of the turbine. Sound was another concern for council members who feared disruption in neighborhoods from a noisy turbine.

Council members also discussed the return on investment for these systems, which cost thousands, even tens of thousands of dollars, but did not determine whether an individual’s ability to save money with a turbine or solar panels would be a factor in approval.

“When you look at our consumption, there’s zero return on investment now,” said Jodi Trendler of Naperville for Clean Energy and Conservation, the group that has been pushing for approval of renewable energy. “Everything you do will be a return compared to what you have now.”

Councilmen James Boyajian, Paul Hinterlong and Richard Furstenau voted against the ordinance’s adoption.

“There is a place for research and development. I’m just not sure it’s in my backyard or my neighbor’s backyard,” said Boyajian. “It’s like we’re not ready for this yet, which is why I’m not supportive of the wind element.”

Most council members did favor the ordinance’s new guidelines for how solar panels should be implemented.

Both ground-mounted and roof-mounted solar systems would be permitted in commercial areas but would need to go through the conditional use process before being built in neighborhoods.

This article brought to you by the Indiana Renewable Energy Association.