For County Officials...
A New Wind Energy Guide for Locals
The U.S. Department of Energy’s latest wind publication, Wind Energy Guide for County Commissioners, was released in December 2006.
The Wind Energy Guide provides county commissioners, planners and other local county officials with a practical overview of information required to successfully implement commercial wind energy projects in their counties. Commercial wind projects are typically those above 600 kilowatts.
The on-line resource provides a concise and practical approach for officials to follow to foster large-scale wind energy development. Among the topics including in the Guide are:
- A brief overview of wind energy
- Environmental benefits
- Wind energy facts and myths
- Economic development benefits
- Wind economics
- The development process
- Public outreach
- Siting issues
- Property tax incentives
- Power system impacts
- Permitting, zoning and siting processes
- Case studies
- Additional resources and information
The publication was produced in conjunction with the National Association of Counties and the federal energy agency’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Wind Powering America program.