Seeing his small turbine as no more obtrusive than satellite dishes that do not require permits, and fully expecting the government to soon scrap permit requirements for all home green-energy sources, Phil Proffitt, did not apply for planning consent.

He may be right. In March 2008, permit rules changed. UK householders can now install solar panels and heat pumps and other such energy generators on their houses without permits, but wind turbines were excluded. Resistance focused on the turbine noise and vibration issues.

So, Mr. Proffitt, may have to take down his turbine and apply for a wind turbine permit. His neighbors are watching this case very closely – supporters, resistors, and those in between.

Looking at his house-attached turbine, Mr. Proffitt says, “They are no more obtrusive than big satellite dishes – people used to complain about TV aerials in the 40s, and then it was satellite dishes, and now a few people will complain about this.”

Click here for the rest of this neighborhood wind energy story.

Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs) are one design alternative to the Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines (HAWTs) – the tower mounted turbines with which we’re more familiar. I’ve been really interested in this design since my days on the Hi-Line in Northcentral Montana. It offers some unique advantages over the typical tower turbine and it’s a design that can be used to generate wind energy in places where there is less wind or where a tall turbine would not be suitable.

Good friend David Brockes, has been exploring VAWTs for a number of years. He most recently pointed me to the Windterra VAWTs being produced in Canada.

According to their website, “Windterra is delivering a new paradigm for green energy – small wind turbines! No one has an “affordable” small wind generator for the residential and commercial markets. There are wind generation products, but they are usually Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines directed more towards farm/rural market, requiring a tower installation for greater speeds and laminar wind-flow.”

The Windterra roof-mounted VAWT has a number of distinct advantages over costlier HAWT systems. Windterra’s products are:

• Easily roof mountable
• More accessible for routine maintenance
• Less affected by turbulent air than HAWTs
• Better suited for residential areas where other houses and trees may disturb the airflow
• Rotate at a much lower speed than the very high speeds of existing HAWTs – thus much lower noise levels and vibration.
• Omni-directional – they can instantaneously accept wind from any direction

And:

• The control system ensures that the turbine is always producing the most energy possible for a given wind speed without overloading the turbine.
• Their products incorporate grid-tie, solar inputs, as well as optional battery charging capabilities.

If you are thinking about doing a small project – or WOW! – think bigger – a whole residential area, community or town with each house outfitted with a Windterra roof top HAWT -  now that’s a nifty picture – keep en eye on Windterra – their HAWT designs look VERY promising!

A couple of years ago while I was working at the North American Rural Futures Institute in northcentral Montana, I e-chatted a bit with Montanan pianist and composer Philip Aaberg about him doing a wind-related compostion. His Live From Montana album nominated for a 2002 Grammy was recorded live in the school auditorium of Aaberg’s hometown, Chester, Montana.

Chester was one of the first places up on the northcentral Montana Hi-Line that installed a wind turbine thanks to the heroic efforts of a number of folks but particularly Liberty County Commissioner, Don Marble, of Chester. 

Philip was interested but noted it would take at least $50,000 (in 2002) for him to do a composition and recording on wind, turbines and kinetic beauty. Not having that in the NARFI budget, the idea dropped.

And so to date, the only piece of music I could find out there on wind power – and it’s a good one – is Thomas Dolby’s WindPower recorded in 1982 on The Golden Age of Wireless album. This piece is every bit as hypnotic as watching a turbine moving. It’s a great song to use to open your wind project community organizing meetings.