19.060 Roof-Mounted Wind Energy Systems

A. Allowed Areas. Roof-mounted wind energy systems may be allowed as an accessory use upon compliance with this section. Figure 2. Hybrid wind and solar energy facility D. Maintenance. All small wind energy facilities shall be maintained in good condition and in accordance with all requirements of this section. E. Abandonment of Use. A small wind energy facility which is not used for 12 successive months shall be deemed abandoned and shall be dismantled and removed from the property at the expense of the property owner in accordance with a decommissioning plan. Failure to abide by this section shall constitute grounds for the revocation of the permit by the City. F. No small wind energy system shall be connected to the power grid until Lehi City Power has inspected the system. Figure 3. Roof-mounted wind energy system B. Applications. An application for a roofmounted wind energy system shall include the following: 1. A line drawing of the electrical components of the system in sufficient detail to allow for a determination that the manner of installation conforms to the National Electric Code. 2. Sufficient information demonstrating that the system will be used primarily to reduce onsite consumption of electricity. 3. Written evidence that the electric utility service provider that serves the proposed site has been informed of the applicant's intent to install an interconnected customer-owned electricity generator, unless the applicant does not plan, and so states in the application, to connect the system to the electricity grid. C. Standards. All roof-mounted wind energy conversion systems shall meet the following standards: 1. No more than two roof-mounted wind energy turbines may be allowed on any legal residential lot. The allowed number of roofmounted wind energy turbines for a nonresidential lot shall be determined by the Planning Commission. Adopted 04/08/08 2. Maximum height restrictions. In commercial applications the peak of the apparatus shall be no more than 15 feet, as measured from the base to the peak of the apparatus, unless an exception is requested and otherwise approved by the Planning Commission. In residential applications, the peak of the apparatus shall be no more than eight feet above the peak of the roof. 3. The system shall be constructed and maintained to ensure that noise levels do not exceed 50 decibels (dBA) when measured from any property line. However, this level may be exceeded during short-term events out of human control, such as utility outages or severe wind storms. (60-70 dBA is the equivalent to a normal conversation at 3-5’). 4. The system's support structure and blades shall be painted or treated a non-reflective, unobtrusive black, brown, green, tan, or other earth tone that blends the system and its components into the surrounding landscape. 5. The use of guy wires shall not be permitted for residential applications. 6. The system shall be operated such that no disruptive electromagnetic interference is caused. If it has been demonstrated that a system is causing harmful interference, the system operator shall promptly mitigate the harmful interference or cease operation of the system. 7. The system shall be designed with an automatic shut-off mechanism, so that in the case of a power outage, the system will not back feed into the power grid. 8. The maximum power output for a roofmounted wind energy system or any other connected renewable energy devices is limited to 15 kW for residential applications. Nonresidential systems may exceed 15 kW upon negotiation with the Lehi Power Director. D. Maintenance. All roof-mounted wind energy systems shall be maintained in good condition and in accordance with all requirements of this section. E. Abandonment of Use. A roof-mounted wind energy system which is not used for 12 successive months shall be deemed abandoned and shall be dismantled and removed from the property at the expense of the property owner. Failure to abide by this section shall constitute grounds for the revocation of the permit by the City. F. Compliance. All roof-mounted wind energy systems shall comply with all applicable IFC and IBC requirements. G. No roof-mounted wind energy system shall be connected to the power grid until Lehi Power has inspected the system. H. Customers of Lehi Power shall be responsible for the installation and maintenance of applicable protection equipment or any damage caused by the customer-generating equipment to the City’s distribution system. H. The owner of the system shall abide by the Lehi Power Net Metering Policy.