Current zoning restrictions in Lincoln all but prevent homeowners from placing small wind turbines on their property. Some people would like to see those rules changed.
It wasn't all that long ago that people accepted large television antennas and satellite dishes on roofs and in back yards. Would people also accept the "unsightliness" of wind turbines? Would you?
It's probably a moot point for me. I don't think I could get enough wind on my property on a regular basis to justify the cost of a turbine. Nor could most of my neighbors. I could go for some nice solar panels -- or better yet, solar shingles -- though.
Comments
See what your friends and neighbors have to say about this.
I have looked around at these. They have a huge range of prices. I would invest in one if I knew it would return my investment quickly and save me lots in the long run.
I do not think that I would consider wind turbines unsightly. I too would have one installed if it would return the investment, however I don’t think that would happen where I live.
I would consider them unsightly and think they should be left to acreages and areas outside of the city. Bad idea to have them sprouting up in yards.
In my neighborhood it would be a nice addition actually. The neighborhood association requires we have a dead appliance on the property 😉
As a regular bicyclist I find this a little hard to believe (the wind is my training partner), but the Lincoln area has about the least amount of wind in the state, and is considered only marginal for generating power.
http://www.neo.ne.gov/renew/windresources/NE_spd30m_0408052.pdf
Clarification:
The map above is wind speed at 30 meters up - about what a residential install might be. Get ambitious and put the turbine at 100 meters, and it’s a different story.
http://www.neo.ne.gov/renew/windresources/NE_spd100m_0408052.pdf
On topic, an occasional turbine would not bother me, but a forest of small ones would be going back to the clutter that was TV antennas. I don’t think I have enough space anyway
I was supportive until I read Peter’s post about Lincoln’s inability to harness generating wind. Now it seems more logical to zone wind farms on city limits.
If 100-meter wind generators started cropping up all over town, that would be an eyesore.
They have all sorts of designs out there. this one is nifty, pretty, and small. The tech will keep getting better and prices currently are cheaper than a solar install.
Still I know from my kite flying in the adjacent field, some days it is not gonna even spin.
I wonder if as tech improves we could throw the turbines on top of cell towers?
I really like that little sideways rooftop wind powered contraption. He looks like he’d be a good workhorse on houses all over the place. If they (windterra) could design it to have little weathervane roosters running around chasing each other, instead of just straight boring windblades… well, I think most everyone would go for that!!! 😊 (But I really do think that small one is a great design… if it truly works).
Wait… people don’t accept TV antennas? I still see them fairly frequently.
On a related note, if anyone knows of a way to get our TV antenna OFF our roof for cheap, let me know.
YOu could put a sign on it stating “100% copper. Don’t Steal” Should be gone in a few days.
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