How communities can establish wind plants

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Excerpt: An emerging group of wind-farm developers are focusing on midsized projects and in places that traditional, large-scale developers are overlooking. These community wind projects, ranging from 5 to 80 MW, are cropping up in part due to recent financial incentives and guidance from firms such as OwnEn …

Can Residential Wind Power the Electric Cars of the Future?

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Excerpt: I have been somewhat intrigued by the topic of wind power charging the electric cars of the future as of late. After reading through a number of blogs and different Q & A areas on the internet, I decided to take the question of feasibility into my own hands, so that I can calculate the outcome a …

How to get a Green Job in Today’s Economy

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Excerpt: Despite the global recession, soaring interest in the new energy economy is sparking tremendous opportunity for job hunters and career changers to go green. The federal government is investing billions into the renewable energy and energy efficiency sectors to help get the U.S. economy back on track …

What to do with Stray Voltage

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Excerpt: This unusual phenomenon, primarily affecting farm livestock, is the result of faulty wiring on any number of electrical systems (not just wind turbines) and easily prevented by industry-standard practices. It is also a strictly localized issue that will not affect off-site parties or properties. …

The Role of Aesthetics in Small Wind Policy

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Excerpt: To function properly, small wind and community wind turbines must be tall and unobstructed, which means that they will likely be visible at some distance. It is also a fact that some people object to their appearance. However, legislating opinion becomes a difficult task - and an inappropriate one f …

Determining Setback Distances and Height for Small Wind Turbines

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Excerpt: To balance against the need for tall towers, good practice requires that a small wind turbine in a residential district be "set back" from a property line some given distance. (For commercial or other zones, this distance is often considerably less, even zero, since in these areas affected parties s …

How Loud is a Wind Turbine Really?

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Excerpt: Modern small wind turbines have better insulation, lower rotation speeds, fewer moving parts, no gearboxes, and more efficient blades that make them much quieter than their ancestors. Today's small wind turbines emit sound that is barely discernible from ambient noise, even with a decibel (dB) meter …