Distributed Wind Energy Zoning and Permitting: A Toolkit for Local Governments

This toolkit aims to help local governments and planning agencies facilitate the efficient and appropriate development of distributed wind in their communities. It covers the following topics:

• Introduction to distributed wind
• Benefits and challenges of distributed wind
• Zoning and permitting considerations, including aesthetics, safety, sound, wildlife, and turbine certification
• How to permit a project that maintains the character of a community
• Case studies and best practices

This guide was produced in conjunction with CESA’s Interstate Turbine Advisory Council, an alliance of clean energy programs and utility incentive providers working to tackle the challenges of the small and mid-scale wind market, and the Northeast Wind Resource Center (NWRC), which provides salient, unbiased information on land-based and offshore wind energy in the Northeastern United States, funded in part through the U.S. Department of Energy’s WINDExchange program.