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.
Friday, December 24, 2010
Thursday, December 16, 2010
WYANDOTTE, MI: City breaks ground on areas first geothermal utility
Editor's note: This is a very interesting concept. I wonder if this might work in Indiana. Is anyone interested into looking at this? Let me know. Laura Ann Arnold
The News Herald (thenewsherald.com), The Voice of Downriver
Saturday, December 4, 2010
By Jim Kasuba
WYANDOTTE, MI — The city has broken ground — literally and figuratively — on the area’s first geothermal utility.
But unlike a ceremonial groundbreaking that involves politicians digging a few inches into the topsoil with fancy shovels, the work recently wrapped up at Lindbergh and Alkali involved going a bit deeper, about 600 feet or so.
City Engineer Mark Kowalewski said the geothermal project is believed to be the first for residential customers in this part of the state.
Advanced Energy Group of Ann Arbor is involved in the joint venture.
“We received a (Neighborhood Stabilization Program Grant) for $560,000,” Kowalewski said. “Every city had some money allocated as part of a Community Development Block Grant formula.”
Wyandotte decided to use its grant money for this relatively small project, which includes two houses the city is rehabilitating, one on Lindbergh and the other on Lincoln.
But that’s just the beginning of what is expected to become a growing project.
This summer, the City Council approved the creation of a geothermal utility, although it’s likely to take several years for it to become readily available and financially feasible for most residents.
A geothermal utility works by circulating water through pipes buried deep in the ground, where temperatures are a constant 54 to 56 degrees. The water is either heated or cooled to a desired temperature, depending on whether it’s winter or summer.
“In the summer, instead of trying to cool down with 80-degree air, you are cooling with 50 degree-water,” said Melanie McCoy, general manager of Wyandotte Municipal Services. “The opposite is true in the winter. The system uses water as its mechanism instead of air, which offers better heat transfer.”
McCoy said there are many reasons to be excited about geothermal energy, among them its heating and cooling efficiency and affordability after start-up costs.
Another benefit, McCoy said, is that geothermal helps Wyandotte Municipal Services improve the operation of the electric system and reduce power supply costs. The other benefit is to the environment.
“According to the Department of Energy and the (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency), geothermal systems are the most environmentally friendly to heat and cool your home,” McCoy said. “They emit no CO2, CO or other greenhouse gases. Geothermal energy has been used to heat and cool for decades, but not provided as a utility service.”
McCoy said each house requires 1 1/2 wells, each containing plastic pipe, 5 inches in diameter, with water going up one side and down the other. Using the dirt around it as a heat transfer, water is recirculated in a closed loop.
In such a system, a geothermal heat pump, powered by electricity, takes the place of a furnace or air conditioning unit.
Wyandotte Municipal Services is partnering with Hardin Geothermal to develop the well fields and assist in connecting to customers.
As part of $7.8 million in federal stimulus money the city was awarded earlier this year in NSP2 funds, officials are expected to either rehabilitate or build more than 40 houses for low- to moderate-income families. City officials see this as an ideal opportunity to utilize geothermal energy in these houses.
The city also is expected to use geothermal energy to heat and cool Bacon Memorial District Library and the Wyandotte Museum, among other public buildings.
One of the downsides of geothermal systems is the startup cost. McCoy estimated that an average heat pump costs about $12,000, which is considerably more expensive than a furnace or air-conditioning unit. The other expense is the wells, which cost about $8,000.
However, the federal government is offering consumers a 30 percent tax credit on the cost of a geothermal pump through 2016, which makes the system more affordable.
McCoy said tentative plans call for Municipal Services not charging $8,000 for each well, but instead charging a monthly fee.
Kowalewski added that more savings can be realized when wells are shared, as four houses can utilize three wells.
“That’s when it makes sense,” the city engineer said. “We will be the first municipality with geothermal, but why not? We are used to being first.”
Contact Staff Writer Jim Kasuba at jimk@heritage.com or 1-734-246-0881
The News Herald (thenewsherald.com), The Voice of Downriver
Saturday, December 4, 2010
By Jim Kasuba
WYANDOTTE, MI — The city has broken ground — literally and figuratively — on the area’s first geothermal utility.
But unlike a ceremonial groundbreaking that involves politicians digging a few inches into the topsoil with fancy shovels, the work recently wrapped up at Lindbergh and Alkali involved going a bit deeper, about 600 feet or so.
City Engineer Mark Kowalewski said the geothermal project is believed to be the first for residential customers in this part of the state.
Advanced Energy Group of Ann Arbor is involved in the joint venture.
“We received a (Neighborhood Stabilization Program Grant) for $560,000,” Kowalewski said. “Every city had some money allocated as part of a Community Development Block Grant formula.”
Wyandotte decided to use its grant money for this relatively small project, which includes two houses the city is rehabilitating, one on Lindbergh and the other on Lincoln.
But that’s just the beginning of what is expected to become a growing project.
This summer, the City Council approved the creation of a geothermal utility, although it’s likely to take several years for it to become readily available and financially feasible for most residents.
A geothermal utility works by circulating water through pipes buried deep in the ground, where temperatures are a constant 54 to 56 degrees. The water is either heated or cooled to a desired temperature, depending on whether it’s winter or summer.
“In the summer, instead of trying to cool down with 80-degree air, you are cooling with 50 degree-water,” said Melanie McCoy, general manager of Wyandotte Municipal Services. “The opposite is true in the winter. The system uses water as its mechanism instead of air, which offers better heat transfer.”
McCoy said there are many reasons to be excited about geothermal energy, among them its heating and cooling efficiency and affordability after start-up costs.
Another benefit, McCoy said, is that geothermal helps Wyandotte Municipal Services improve the operation of the electric system and reduce power supply costs. The other benefit is to the environment.
“According to the Department of Energy and the (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency), geothermal systems are the most environmentally friendly to heat and cool your home,” McCoy said. “They emit no CO2, CO or other greenhouse gases. Geothermal energy has been used to heat and cool for decades, but not provided as a utility service.”
McCoy said each house requires 1 1/2 wells, each containing plastic pipe, 5 inches in diameter, with water going up one side and down the other. Using the dirt around it as a heat transfer, water is recirculated in a closed loop.
In such a system, a geothermal heat pump, powered by electricity, takes the place of a furnace or air conditioning unit.
Wyandotte Municipal Services is partnering with Hardin Geothermal to develop the well fields and assist in connecting to customers.
As part of $7.8 million in federal stimulus money the city was awarded earlier this year in NSP2 funds, officials are expected to either rehabilitate or build more than 40 houses for low- to moderate-income families. City officials see this as an ideal opportunity to utilize geothermal energy in these houses.
The city also is expected to use geothermal energy to heat and cool Bacon Memorial District Library and the Wyandotte Museum, among other public buildings.
One of the downsides of geothermal systems is the startup cost. McCoy estimated that an average heat pump costs about $12,000, which is considerably more expensive than a furnace or air-conditioning unit. The other expense is the wells, which cost about $8,000.
However, the federal government is offering consumers a 30 percent tax credit on the cost of a geothermal pump through 2016, which makes the system more affordable.
McCoy said tentative plans call for Municipal Services not charging $8,000 for each well, but instead charging a monthly fee.
Kowalewski added that more savings can be realized when wells are shared, as four houses can utilize three wells.
“That’s when it makes sense,” the city engineer said. “We will be the first municipality with geothermal, but why not? We are used to being first.”
Contact Staff Writer Jim Kasuba at jimk@heritage.com or 1-734-246-0881
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