Changing Code?

Small wind energy conversion system (SWECS) means a wind energy conversion system consisting of a wind turbine, a tower, and associated control or conversion electronics, which has a rated capacity of not more than 10 kW and which is intended to primarily reduce on-site consumption of utility power. This equipment includes any base, blade, foundation, generator, nacelle, rotor, tower, transformer, vane, wire, inverter, batteries or other component used in the system. The City of Lake Mills may soon modify the code in the following fashion.


(a) A SWECS shall be permitted as a conditional use in all zoning districts subject to the following requirements:
(1) Number. Only one (1) SWECS shall be permitted per property regardless of the number of dwelling units or tenants.
(2) Location.
a. A SWECS shall be prohibited from being located in front of the building setback line or in front of the principal building on a property.
b. SWECS setback shall comply with the yard areas established for principal structures for each zoning district.
c. The SWECS shall be located such that its fall zone plus five (5) feet will be located entirely on the permitted property in the event of collapse or other structural failure.
(3) Tower Construction. All towers for a SWECS shall be a single monopole type constructed without guy wires or ground anchors. Guyed towers and lattice towers are expressly prohibited. All towers shall be structurally designed to withstand 100mph winds and handle loads imparted. (4) Height, Blade Length, Turbine Capacity. The total height of a SWECS shall be measured as the vertical distance from ground level to the tip of a wind generator blade when the tip is at its highest point.
(5) Blades and Clearance. Protected blades shall be used if a SWECS is installed on a rooftop or if located within twelve (12) feet of a structure. A minimum vertical blade clearance of fifteen (15) feet shall be required from grade or rooftops.
(6) Access. All ground mounted electrical and control equipment shall be labeled or secured to prevent unauthorized access. The tower shall be designed and installed so as to not provide step bolts or a ladder readily accessible to the public for a minimum height of eight (8) feet above the ground.
(7) Electrical Wires. SWECS including tower shall comply with all applicable state construction and electrical codes, and the National Electrical Code. All electrical wires associated with a SWECS, other than wires necessary to connect the wind generator to the tower wiring, the tower wiring to the disconnect junction box, and the grounding wires shall be located underground. All wires and connections shall be wholly located on the subjects property, and in no case shall connections to multiple detached structures be permitted.
(8) Lighting. A wind tower and generator shall not be artificially illuminated unless such lighting is required by the Federal Aviation Administration.
(9) Appearance, Color, and Finish. The wind generator and tower shall remain painted or finished the color or finish that was originally applied by the manufacturer, unless approved in the building permit. Generally acceptable colors shall be muted or understated colors that are unobtrusive to surrounding properties, such as galvanized metal or earth tones.
(10)Signs. All signs, other than the manufacturer’s or installer’s identification, appropriate warning signs, or owner identification on a wind generator, tower, building, or other structure associated with a small wind energy system visible from any public road shall be prohibited.
(11)Noise And Shadow Flicker
a. Audible sound from a Wind Energy Facility shall not exceed twenty-five (25) dBA in residential districts or fifty (50) dBA in all other districts, as measured at the exterior of any occupied building on an adjacent or neighboring property. Methods for measuring and reporting acoustic emissions from Wind Turbines and the Wind Energy Facility shall be equal to or exceed the minimum standards for precision described in American Wind Energy Association Standard 2.1 - 1989 titled Procedures for the Measurement and Reporting of Acoustic Emissions from Wind Turbine Generation Systems Volume I: First Tier.
b. Low Frequency Harmonics. The SWECS shall be designed to avoid emitting low frequency harmonics that can be disruptive to neighboring properties.
c. The property owner and operator shall make reasonable efforts to minimize shadow flicker to any occupied building on an adjacent or neighboring property.
(12)Utility notification and interconnection. SWECS that connect to the electric utility shall comply with the Illinois Distributed Generation Interconnection Standard.
(13)Compliance with FAA Regulations: SWECS must comply with applicable FAA regulations, including any necessary approvals for installations close to airports/airstrips. If lighting is required by the FAA, a dual mode fixture/lamp shall be installed.
(14)Required Safety Features
a. All SWECS shall be designed with an automatic overspeed control to render the system inoperable when winds are blowing in excess of the speeds for which the machine is designed.
b. All SWECS shall have a manually operable method to render the system inoperable in the event of a structural or mechanical failure of any part of the system including the automatic overspeed control.
c. All SWECS shall be designed with an automatic control to render the system inoperable in case of loss of utility power to prevent the SWECS from supplying power to a de-energized electrical distribution system.
d. Any SWECS thereof declared to be unsafe by the Code Enforcement Department by reason of inadequate maintenance, dilapidation, obsolescence, fire hazard, disaster, damage or abandonment is hereby declared to be a public nuisance and shall be abated by repair, rehabilitation, demolition, or removal in accordance with the procedures set forth in the City of Lake Mills Code of Ordinances.