Nashville considers wind energy for homes
Tennessean.com (TN)
August 7, 2008
www.tennessean.com
By Michael Cass
East Nashville developer John Donelson wants to put a "sleek" wind tower above a property he owns on a Shelby Avenue corner, drawing the attention of passers-by while making his energy use a bit "greener."
"It could be a beacon to a green redevelopment area," Donelson said Wednesday.
He could get his wish under a bill the Metro Council will start considering tonight. The legislation, which Donelson helped to kick-start, would allow "small wind energy systems" in all zoning districts and regulate their output, height, setbacks, lighting and appearance.
The wind energy systems can be considered windmills, though Donelson said that term is a misnomer for what he has in mind. In any case, Metro Councilman Charlie Tygard, a co-sponsor of the bill, said he expects the devices to become more popular as people increasingly seek alternative energy sources.
Such systems provide electricity when the wind is blowing; when it isn't, the local electric utility supplies the power. Southwest Windpower, which makes the model Donelson wants to install, says on its Web site that the system can lower electric bills as much as 80 percent.
"I'm willing to put an initial $15,000 to $20,000 in" to buy and install a system, said Donelson, who declined to say what he wants to build at Shelby and South 10th Street.
Tygard, who is considering solar and wind power for his house, said Metro needs to get on top of the issue to make sure people living near houses that use wind energy aren't adversely affected by them.
"We're making sure it's not detrimental to the neighbors," he said. "A lot of communities didn't address cell phone towers until it was too late."
Councilman Mike Jameson, the bill's other sponsor, said he started thinking about the issue after Donelson approached him. It dovetailed with his interest in alternative energy sources and environmental conservation, and when he talked to a council attorney, he found Tygard was already working on a bill.
Jameson said some people think the wind energy systems "are as ugly as cell towers, but because they represent the community's investment in alternative energy, they get a positive feeling about them."
Tygard and Jameson said they've heard from one person who criticized the bill's restriction of the systems' capacity to 50 kilowatts or less. Jameson said the restriction effectively limits rotor sizes and noise, but that it may not be necessary and the bill could be amended. |
