Saco considers rules for home windmills (Maine)

[jpak]

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=184389&ac=PHnws

The first city in Maine to erect a municipal windmill is considering what may be the first zoning ordinance in the state regarding residential wind turbines.

The Saco City Council is considering a set of rules to establish standards for placement of small windmills of the sort that could power a home.

With the city taking a leading role in wind power by putting up two turbines of its own in the last couple years, Saco City Councilor Eric Cote said many residents are inquiring about erecting their own windmills. The city has issued only two residential permits for these structures, but Cote said the city expects applications to rise.

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When Saco put up a 35-foot windmill beside the municipal sewage plant in the fall of 2006, it was the first residential-scale windmill in Maine, according to Cote. Two and a half years later, the councilor said about 80 of these devices are spinning around the state, including one at the Bush estate at Walker's Point in Kennebunkport.

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