Initial Problem Background and Problem Statement
Topic: Utility-Scale Wind Energy in Vermont
Group Information:
Brendan Andrews
Erica Spiegel
Marc Bilodeau
Brendan.Andrews@uvm.edu
Erica.Spiegel@uvm.edu
Marc.Bilodeau@uvm.edu
Sponsor Information:
We have not selected a specific sponsor for this project. This information will be
potentially useful to the Vermont League of Cities and Towns, the Vermont Department
of Public Service, or the Vermont Planning Information Center
Problem Concept
Vermont is on the cusp on an energy transformation. Currently, just two sources,
the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant and Hydro-Quebec, supply two thirds of
Vermont’s electricity.1 However, within the next ten years, those sources may no longer
be available and so Vermont must begin the process of diversifying its energy portfolio.
A more diverse energy portfolio increases stability and decreases vulnerability,
preventing Vermont from becoming too dependant on any one source of electricity.
Renewable energy sources will be increasingly vital to Vermont’s future energy portfolio.
Currently, renewable sources of energy supply twelve to fifteen percent of Vermont’s
total energy needs.2 While hydroelectric power comprises the majority of that
percentage, over time, wind will grow to be an important component of renewable
energy.
Historically, Vermont has been a leader in wind energy production. The first
commercial wind turbine in the United States, the Smith-Putnam turbine, became
operational in 1941 on Grandpa’s Knob, twelve miles south of Rutland, Vermont.3 The
turbine generated electricity and supplied that electricity to the local grid until 1945,
demonstrating that “wind…could be harnessed on a large scale.”4 In 1997 when the
Searsburg Wind Project was completed, it was the first commercial wind farm east of the
Mississippi River.5 Some industry experts estimate that developing six to ten more
commercial wind sites in Vermont could supply ten to twenty percent of the state’s
Vermont Department of Public Service, “Vermont’s Power Supply, 2003.”
<http://publicservice.vermont.gov/electric/electric.html>.
2 Vermont Department of Public Service,“Electric Plan 2005.” (2005).
<http://publicservice.vermont.gov/pub/state-plans/state-plan-electric2005.pdf>.
3 Robert W. Righter, Wind Energy in America: A History, p. 131.
4 Righter, p. 134.
5 Renewable Energy Vermont, Vermont Wind: Looking Towards Our Energy Future, DVD, 2004.
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energy needs, greatly reducing the state’s dependency on both out-of-state and nonrenewable electricity resources.6 Projects across the state have been put forth by private
developers; however, these proposals to develop more wind farms have all triggered local
opposition and have been slowed by the state’s reticence to embrace commercial wind
farms. Instead, Vermont has chosen to focus wind energy development on a smaller,
“Vermont-scale” that promotes individual and residential applications for wind turbines
and is incompatible with larger, commercial projects.7 Thus, many other states have
surpassed Vermont in terms of developing commercially viable wind power sources.
Wind energy is a natural fit for Vermont. Wind is abundant and free and does not
pollute the environment. Increasing the state’s reliance on wind energy will continue a
tradition begun in the 1940’s on a hill outside of Rutland. Thus, state policies and
administrative processes must support and encourage the development of large scale
commercial wind projects.
In July of 2004, Governor Jim Douglas issued an executive order to create a
Commission on Wind Energy Regulatory Policy. The Commission, in the course of its
work, recognized and reaffirmed that “there is no statewide consensus on the
development of large wind generation projects in Vermont.”8 Nowhere is this more
apparent than at the local and at the regional levels. For some towns, wind energy
projects spark fierce debates; in others, the issue is rarely mentioned. While town and
regional plans provide a “vision of how communities should develop and how proper
land use designations can affect the health, safety, and welfare of [these] communities,”
most plans do not specifically address wind energy and only address renewable energy in
broad strokes.9 With no direction from town plans, and when confronted by conflicting
and inconsistent information about the noise, the safety, the environmental impact, the
cost, and the appearance of wind turbines, select boards and regional planning
commissions often feel marginalized when commercial wind projects proceed through
the Section 248 process.
In order to help build consensus, the Commission noted the need for an “increase
[in] public and local official education.”10 This project seeks to provide these town
leaders and regional planning commissions with a clear overview of the major issues
pertaining to wind energy, in order to help them make informed decisions about wind
energy. Information about the technical, environmental, and economic aspects of wind
energy, the legal process of siting, and the concept of public good will all be provided.
By providing this information, the project seeks to add clarity to the wind energy debate
at the local level, and in so doing, to encourage towns and regions to articulate a set of
6
Ibid.
“Meeting Vermont’s Energy Needs,” Opinions by Gov. Jim Douglas and Mayor Peter Clavelle,
Burlington Free Press, 22 Aug. 2004.
8 Commission on Wind Energy Regulatory Policy, “Findings and Recommendations,” 2004, 4-12.
<http://publicservice.vermont.gov/energy-efficiency/ee_files/wind/WindCommissionFinalReport12-15-04.pdf>
9 Charldean Newell, The Effective Local Government Manager, (Washington, D.C.: International
City/County Management Association, 2004), 89.
10 Ibid.
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community standards regarding wind energy development and to record those values
within the town and regional plans. The project will provide specific suggestions and
sample language to modify those sections of the town plan relevant to wind energy and to
articulate that vision; whether in favor or against wind energy.
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