Municipal leaders in many of the nation’s windswept cities have turned to an innovative way of allowing wind turbines to be erected without incurring the wrath of homeowners who complain they make too much noise. These officials are allowing the giant windmills to be installed on commercial parking lots in areas separated from residential neighborhoods by zoning restrictions.
Parking lot windmills, many of them located at closed big-box retail centers, can be found in a growing number of cities from Buffalo, New York, to Palmdale, California. Many of the parking lot wind turbines are being installed on existing light poles; cities are mandating that they not exceed 60 feet in height.
Last year, 10,000 small turbines were sold to homes, farms and businesses nationwide, according to an official at the American Wind Energy Association in Washington, DC. The figure represents a 78-percent increase over the previous year, attributed in part to cheaper prices and federal tax credits.
Source: MMRMA.org
