Wind Energy Conversion Systems

WOODBOURNE MAN GETS OFF THE POWER GRID WITH WIND GENERATOR AND SOLAR PANELS:

From the road, you can see a thin white tower, topped by a propeller, next to the ranch house on Budd Road. Just behind it, pointed southwest to catch the sun, are three panels of solar cells.

Jeff Ruhren built two wind generators himself. Now, he runs much of his house with wind and solar panels. The heavy-duty stuff — say, the refrigerator — is still on the grid. Ruhren heats the place with a pellet stove. But the TV and lights run on natural power.
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With gas and oil prices sky-high, a lot of people are wondering how hard it would be to convert to renewable energy. Ruhren has done it.
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Ruhren says he uses about 900 kilowatt hours of electricity per month total. With good sun and wind, he generates a third of that himself.

The Town of Fallsburg, which includes Woodbourne, doesn't have zoning on wind generators. Code officer George Sarvis said anyone thinking about wind power should talk to the local building department to check on requirements.

Ray Hull, a spokesman for the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, said typically it costs $30,000 to convert a house entirely to solar power, and a little more for wind. State and federal tax incentives can return about half of the cost.

Systems like these will become more popular as time goes on. If your town wants to encourage them, be sure to examine your zoning code to determine whether it inadvertently prohibits turbine towers via generic height limitations. There are plenty of sample laws floating around the web if you need some ideas to start a comprehensive law that permits turbines, but still provides adequate safety and aesthetic protections.