The Board of Trustees of the Village of Stratford adopts this
article to promote the effective and efficient use of wind energy
conversion systems (WECS) and to regulate the placement of wind energy
conversion systems so that the public health and safety will not be
jeopardized.
The Board of Trustees of the Village of Stratford further finds
and declares that:
A. Wind turbines that convert wind energy to electricity are currently
available on a commercial basis from many manufacturers.
B. The generation of electricity from properly sited wind turbines can
be cost effective, and in many cases existing power distribution systems
can be used to transmit electricity from wind-generating stations
to utilities and other users.
C. Regulation of the site selection and installation of wind turbines
is necessary for the purpose of protecting the health and safety of
neighboring property owners and the general public.
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
OVERSPEED CONTROL
A mechanism used to limit the speed of blade rotation to
below the design limits of the WECS.
SITE
The plot of land where the WECS is to be placed. The site
could be public or privately owned by an individual or a group of
individuals controlling single or adjacent properties.
SWEPT AREA
The largest area of the WECS which extracts energy from the
wind stream. In a conventional propeller-type WECS, there is a direct
relationship between swept area and the rotor diameter.
TOTAL HEIGHT
The height of the tower and the furthest vertical extension
of the WECS.
WIND ENERGY CONVERSION SYSTEM (WECS)
A machine that converts the kinetic energy in the wind into
a usable form (commonly known as a "wind turbine" or "windmill").
The WECS includes all parts of the system except the tower and the
transmission equipment; the turbine or WECS may be on a horizontal
or vertical axis, rotor, or propeller.
Wind energy conversion systems shall be permitted in only R-4
Rural Development and I-1 General Industrial Zoning Districts, subject
to the following requirements:
A. The building permit application for a WECS shall be accompanied by
a plot plan drawn in sufficient detail to clearly describe the following:
(1) Name and address of the applicant.
(2) Address, property lines and physical dimensions of the site on which
the system will be located.
(3) Location and elevation of the proposed WECS.
(4) Location of all aboveground utility lines on site or within one radius
of the total height of the WECS.
(5) Location and size of structures and trees above 35 feet within a
five-hundred-foot radius of the proposed WECS. For purposes of this
requirement, electrical transmission and distribution lines, antennas
and slender or open lattice towers are not considered structures.
(6) Zoning designation of immediate and adjacent sites as set forth in Chapter
590, Zoning.
(7) Make, model, picture and manufacturer's specifications, including
noise decibels.
B. Installation of all wind energy conversion systems shall comply with
the following requirements:
(1) WECS size, as covered in this article, shall be a swept area of 1,000
square feet or less. (For conventional propeller WECS, this would
be approximately 35 feet or less in diameter.)
(2) Nonelectrical WECS used for pumping water may be exempted from the provisions of Subsection
B(3) through
(15), but they must be sited so that any tip over will be harmless to others.
(3) Compliance with Uniform Building Code.
(a)
Building permit applications shall be accompanied by standard
drawings of the structural components of the wind energy conversion
systems, including support structures, tower, base and footings. Drawings
and any necessary calculations shall be certified, in writing, by
a Wisconsin registered professional engineer that the system complies
with the Wisconsin State Uniform Building Code. This certification
would normally be supplied by the manufacturer.
(b)
Where the structural components of an installation vary from
the standard design or specifications, the proposed modifications
shall be certified by a Wisconsin registered professional engineer
for compliance with the seismic and structural design provisions of
the Wisconsin Uniform Building Code.
(4) Compliance with National Electrical Code.
(a)
Building permit applications shall be accompanied by a line
drawing identifying the electrical components of the wind system to
be installed in sufficient detail to allow for a determination that
the manner of installation conforms to the National Electrical Code.
The application shall include a statement from the Wisconsin registered
professional engineer indicating that the electrical system conforms
to good engineering practices and complies with the National Electrical
Code. This certification would normally be supplied by the manufacturer.
All equipment and materials shall be used or installed in accordance
with such drawings and diagrams.
(b)
Where the electrical components of an installation vary from
the standard design or specifications, the proposed modifications
shall be reviewed and certified by a Wisconsin registered professional
engineer for compliance with the requirements of the National Electrical
Code and engineering practices.
(5) Rotor safety must be maintained by equipping each WECS with both
manual and automatic controls to limit the rotational speed of the
blade below the design limits of the rotor. The application must include
a statement by a Wisconsin registered professional engineer certifying
that the rotor and overspeed controls have been designed and fabricated
for the proposed use in accordance with good engineering practices.
The engineer should also certify the structural compatibility of possible
towers with available rotors. This certification would normally be
supplied by the manufacturer and include the distance and trajectory
of the thrown blade from an exploding turbine or propeller according
to the loss of blade theory.
(6) Anchor points for guy wires for the WECS tower shall be located within
property lines and not on or across any aboveground electric transmission
or distribution line. The point of ground attachment for the guy wires
shall be enclosed by a fence six feet high.
(7) Tower access.
(a)
Tower access shall include:
[1] Tower-climbing apparatus located no closer than 12 feet to the ground;
and
[2] A locked anti-climb device installed on the tower.
(b)
The tower shall be completely enclosed by a locked protective
fence at least six feet high.
(8) The WECS shall meet the requirements of any existing noise ordinance
of the Village of Stratford.
(9) No WECS shall be installed in any location along the major axis of
an existing microwave communications link where the operation of the
WECS is likely to produce an unacceptable level of electromagnetic
interference, unless the applicant provides sufficient evidence satisfactory
to the Zoning Administrator of the Village of Stratford indicating
the degree of expected interference and the possible side effect on
the microwave communication link. If it is demonstrated to the Zoning
Administrator that a WECS is causing harmful interference for radio,
television, or Internet transmissions, the operator shall promptly
mitigate the harmful interference.
(10)
At least one sign shall be posted at the base of the tower warning
of electrical shock or high voltage.
(11)
The minimum height of the lowest part of the WECS shall be 30
feet above the highest existing major structure or tree within a two-hundred-fifty-foot
radius. For purposes of this requirement, electrical transmission
and distribution lines, antennas and slender or open lattice towers
are not considered structures. WECS shall be located or installed
in compliance with the guidelines of the Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA) regulations with regard to airport approach zones.
(12)
The minimum lot size required for the erection, construction,
or placement of a WECS on a property shall be five acres.
(13)
Setbacks.
(a)
Except as provided for under Subsection
B(6), the WECS shall be set back from any property line, aboveground utility line or other WECS a distance greater than either its overall height, including blades, or the minimum yard requirement, whichever is greater.
(b)
In the case of cluster development, a WECS shall be erected within the common open space area and shall be set back from all residences a distance greater than Subsection
B(13)(a) above.
(c)
Contiguous property owners may construct a WECS for use in common,
provided that the required setback is maintained relative to the property
lines of nonparticipant owners.
(14)
For those WECS which will be interconnected to a utility grid,
no wind turbine shall be installed until evidence has been given that
the utility company has been notified in writing.
(15)
If a WECS is not maintained in operational condition for a period
of one year or poses a potential safety hazard, the owner or operator
shall take action to remedy the situation. The Village of Stratford
reserves the authority to abate any hazardous situation and to pass
the cost of such abatement on to the owner or operator of the system.
If the Village of Stratford determines that the WECS has been abandoned
and poses a safety hazard, the system shall be removed within 45 days
of written notice to the owner or operator of the system.
(16)
The applicant, owner, lessee or assignee shall maintain a current
insurance policy which will cover installation and operation of the
WECS at all times. Said policy shall provide a minimum of $300,000
of property and personal liability coverage. A certificate of insurance
must be provided to the Village of Stratford annually.
(17)
Lighting of the tower for aircraft and helicopters will conform
to FAA standards for wattage and color.
(18)
The project must be viewed for visual pollution, and the Village
of Stratford may require an environmental impact statement.
Any person who violates any provision of this article shall be subject to a penalty as provided in §
1-5 of this Code.
Every conditional use permit granted under this article shall
be a required recording on the property with the County Register of
Deeds office. Proof of recording must be provided by the property
owner to the Clerk of the Village of Stratford within 90 days of the
granting of the conditional use permit. Failure to record the conditional use permit
within the ninety-day period will result in immediate revocation of
the conditional use permit.
The Board of Trustees of the Village of Stratford adopts this
article to promote the effective and efficient use of solar energy
systems (SES) and to regulate the placement of solar collector systems
so that the public health and safety will not be jeopardized.
The Village may provide for the trimming of vegetation which
blocks solar energy, as defined under § 66.0403(1)(k), Wis.
Stats., from a collector surface, as defined under § 700.41,
Wis. Stats. This section includes the designation of the solar collector
owner as the person responsible for the cost of removing the vegetation.
Any person who violates any provision of this article shall be subject to a penalty as provided in §
1-5 of this Code.
Every conditional use permit granted under this article shall
be a required recording on the property with the County Register of
Deeds office. Proof of recording must be provided by the property
owner to the Clerk of the Village of Stratford within 90 days of the
granting of the conditional use permit. Failure to record the conditional
use permit within the ninety-day period will result in immediate revocation
of the conditional use permit.