Last Thursday night, the Lake in the Hills Village Board of Trustees passed measures to allow Small Wind Turbines in the village in both a residential and commercial capacity.
I, for one, am pleased with this decision. I am proud of how the Planning and Zoning Commission so carefully considered this and came to a solution that included input from village residents. At the November 16 public hearing, there were several residents in attendance. One resident gave some great advice to include graphics in the ordinance and code to alleviate misinterpretations in the future. The final draft of the ordinance and code included this advice.
You will be able to review all the updates on the village website shortly.
Technology will force the village to keep a close watch on this because the wind turbines will surely be updated and change as quickly as iPod music players. It is a good precedent that we are forward thinking about how to introduce this type of energy saving measures into our village. Due to costs ($800 - $1,500 starting costs for small turbines w/o installation) a low level of interest in our area, I do not expect to see these going up on many homes right away, however, it is something that I see gaining momentum in the future as people become more educated on the subject.
For now - we have measures in place to address any residential or commercial needs for Small Wind Energy Systems.