The Wishek Wind Turbine Tangle

The current standoff between a Wishek homeowner and local city officials raises questions about wind as an alternative for city dwellers who want to use supplemental green energy.

The dispute in Wishek is over a 2.6-kilowatt wind turbine that a defiant Larry Walth installed in his yard last June after the city council denied him a permit. The city council says Walth is in violation of an ordinance passed in November that allows wind turbines only in the town's commercially-zoned districts.  It also says the wind turbine did not meet the conditions for a special permit under the ordinance in effect when Walth submitted his request last April. Walth says he's not going to take the turbine down. The city says its going to take Walth to court.

The Wishek spat comes amidst projections that indicate a surge of interest in small wind power systems. According to a recent report from Pike Research, global small wind market revenues are forecast to expand from $203 million in 2009 to $412 million in 2013, a compound annual growth rate of nearly 20%. During that same period, worldwide installed capacity of small wind turbines is expected to increase from 49 megawatts to 115 megawatts. According to the report, the anticipated applications for small wind products include residential off-grid power, the goal Larry Walth had in mind when he purchased the turbine for his yard on the edge of Wishek.

Cole Gustafson, a biofuels economist at NDSU, recently published a guide called Wind Energy for North Dakota Homeowners, Farmers and Small Businesses. In addition, Gustafson devoted a recent column (12/1/2009) on the NDSU website to small wind energy. "There never has been a better time to buy a small wind system in terms of incentives," he writes. "The federal investment tax credit now equals 30 percent of the total installed cost. Several local utilities have additional incentives."

"In addition to saving money," Gustafson continues, "wind energy doesn’t emit any pollution or need any water. A small wind system can offset approximately 1.2 tons of air pollutants and 200 tons of greenhouse gas pollutants that have been tied to global warming."

Gustafson points out that prospective users of small wind energy will need "to check local zoning codes and covenants to be sure wind structures are allowed." In light of the situation in Wishek, one must wonder how those codes and covenants are going to be amended in response to the surging interest in do-it-yourself energy products. The case shows quite clearly that communities may not find alternative energy so appealing when it is being generated in their own backyards--even in a state known as the "Saudi Arabia of Wind."