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Matthew J Redsell This article was originally written by me in early 2007. Despite an imminent passing of the Green Energy act which will eliminate the required zone changes by some backward municipalities and along with numerous recommendations to delete this requirement Bayham decided to ask for for a Zone change for $2000 and they cannot assure an positive outcome.
Preamble. For most people the thought of a windmill is something one purchases at a windmill dealer and then hires a contractor. A good dealer of windmills will examine the needs of the prospective home by analyzing the electrical needs then suggest a system of solar cells and a windmill. The prospective customer will be shocked at the expense of a system so the first thing that must occur is to conserve and reduce the energy being used. There is also regular maintenance to consider. And if enough research is done one discovers that alternate energy is never going to fulfill our every need and that life in our future on renewable energy will be very different from our present day. I have lived off of solar cells for about three years and understand the nature of days without much electricity and then to make use of the energy when the sun shines. I have studied self sufficiency daily for over 3 years. Building a windmill is an extension of my desire to pioneer and share in a sustainable lifestyle while maintaining the need to have those items that produce electricity, heat or energy easily built and maintained by the home mechanic. The amount of power that one can expect from a windmill depends on the blade diameter. For example a blade of 1 meter in a 10m (22 mph) per second wind may produce 70 watts. A blade of 2 meters in a 10 m/second wind may produce 280 watts. You will notice that twice the blade diameter yields four times the energy. To give you an idea of energy use consider that a hair dryer easily uses over 1200 watts! I have built my own windmill from the plans of Hugh Piggot, a world recognized windmill builder, and recommended as the most reliable. This is a well researched, heavy duty construction made to last and has been fabricated in many countries around the world. And the best thing about it is that all the parts are easily available locally. Guidelines to consider in allowing windmills on any zoning: *The main issue is to have a quiet operation for residential use . If a windmill is built correctly it should have a tip speed ratio of less than 7 to reduce noise and a blade diameter of greater than 2 meters and less than 5 meters. A number of store purchased windmills have very diameter small blades and rely on a high wind speed to operate. These are usually not suitable in a residential area nor have a very good record of longevity. *The second issue is to recommend a guyed gin pole tower so that the windmill can be easily lowered should extreme weather conditions be imminent or that it can be easily serviced. * Placement of the tower should be considered to give a short distance to the house to avoid energy loss since the voltages used are usually under 24 volts. The placement of the tower should not be placed according to where it would fall since a well designed guyed tower will not fall down. All electrical wires should be buried. *Guy wires should be clearly marked to avoid people running into them and have some setback from property lines. Guy wire anchors are usually ½ the tower height and in sets of four per level ( three to four sets in 70 ft) . *height of the tower should allow for clearance over trees and other objects upwind of the windmill by about 20 ft. A set of guidelines for the tower plans should be submitted and compared to towers already in use. Having an engineers approval does not necessarily provide one with suitability of the tower especially if they are not familiar with windmill towers; far better to have those who know towers approve certain criteria such as certain tube diameters, suggested guy wires and anchor points for certain blade diameters. A suggested one tower length from any power lines would be prudent. The tower should have at least 10 ft from the ground to the bottom of the windmill blades. *The gin pole tower should be able to be taken down entirely within the property lines.
The submission for a residential windmill to the building inspector should have the following: A diagram and dimensions of the windmill from the manufacturer or builder. A diagram of the tower with specific sizes for all the parts including the anchors. A diagram of the electrical layout showing an electrical or mechanical braking system (wires are all crossed to stop the blades) A plan of the placement of the tower within the property. The building inspector should see the completed windmill before it is put up on the tower. The building inspector is not certifying that the windmill is safe or workable. He may suggest other possibilities but he does however have the right to not allow the windmill should he find good reasons that do not fulfill the above guidelines. The entire project is the responsibility of the builder, owner and or contractor and they will be held responsible.
It is important to have a set of guidelines that are backed by careful thought and good reasoning. Do not just adopt other municipalities guidelines. Requiring the tower to be at least one length from nearest owners dwelling does not make much sense and only contributes to energy losses due to long distances and perhaps the placing the tower in a most unfavorable site, and if the tower should fall on a house it will at least not fall on anyone and will certainly not destroy the house and the people inside. Do not limit resident windmills by their rated power output. This is a wildly unreliable number. It is better to limit the diameter of the blades to under 3 meters and a tip speed ratio of less than 7. Some neighbours may object to the sight of a windmill. This should not be an issue when we are striving to explore renewable energy. The sight of tv antennas, electrical lines and poles are certainly more of an eyesore. Consider which you would rather have in your back yard, a windmill or a coal fired generator? Do not limit the choice of windmills to those manufactured and for sale in stores. Many of the residential windmills available have not proven reliable. Encourage those interested in windmills to seek others who have successfully completed windmills in the local area. Windmills run at low voltages that are non hazardous to humans. Typically 12 or 24 volts are used. What is most important are wire sizes and the distances the electricity must travel so good planning is necessary and should not be hampered by long set backs. A set of guidelines is better than a rigid set of rules. Our own building inspector should have the ability to judge the merits of each installation. |