Interest in wind power has Beach looking at controls

VIRGINIA BEACH

It's no surprise that John Devan would want to install a 33-foot-tall windmill in the Corporate Landing Business Park to power his building.

Devan is president of the electric engineering firm Pace Collaborative and enjoys giving tours of all the energy-efficient light fixtures in his office.

What has taken Virginia Beach officials by surprise is the number of other business owners and residents who are inquiring about propping up their own windmills.

"I am averaging one or two calls a week," said Will Miller, a Beach zoning inspector.

It has forced Virginia Beach officials to explore ways to regulate the windmills and determine where they can be installed and what federal and state certifications are necessary.

"It is large, like a cell tower, and we think there needs to be some guidance," said Kay Wilson, an associate city attorney.

Beach officials are studying zoning codes from North Carolina and elsewhere in Virginia and looking at whether the turbines might spur noise, safety and visual problems.

Wilson said she hopes to bring an ordinance to the City Council in the coming months.

Suffolk officials are also developing rules for windmills after getting one request, said city spokeswoman Debbie George.

"It's a growing market segment," said Ken Jurman, the manager of the renewable energy program for Virginia's Division of Energy.

Last year, the state approved Virginia's first commercial wind-energy farm in Highland County, near the West Virginia border.

The mountains of Virginia and the coastline are the best places for wind turbines, Jurman said.

But it's still a pricey alternative for individuals, Jurman said.

Ocean Lakes High School intern J.T. Glaze, who worked at Devan's company this summer, calculated that it would take 24 years to break even on a $215,000 wind system that Pace Collaborative is developing for the Beach school division. School officials are considering placing a wind turbine at the new bus maintenance facility. At best, the turbine would provide power for 25 percent of the building, Devan said.

Most companies will only invest in an alternative energy, like wind, if they can recoup their money in five to seven years, Devan said.

That makes it tough in Virginia, he said, because the state still has relatively low power bills, and unless a business or house is right at the Oceanfront, there's not enough wind here to harness a significant amount of energy, Devan said.

Eric Richter, the vice president of property management for Phillips Edison & Co., said his firm came to a similar conclusion after considering whether to put a windmill at a shopping center off Shore Drive.

It is likely Phillips Edison will test wind energy in states with stronger wind zones, such as Texas, Richter said.

David Comer, who lives in the Ocean Lakes neighborhood, said he's interested in wind energy for environmental, not financial, reasons.

"I think it's something viable, that the city should consider letting residents do it in some way," Comer said.

Deirdre Fernandes, (757) 222-5121, deirdre.fernandes@pilotonline.com