Wind turbines get green light from Grayslake

Two wind turbines have received the green light in Grayslake, and the village intends to develop regulations to deal with future nonresidential requests.

Village officials meeting as a committee of the whole on Tuesday agreed to a long-standing request from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers for a variance to village code to install two small turbines.

"IBEW is our first official request," regarding wind turbines, said Kirk Smith, village zoning officer. "There was a discussion about establishing rules as well as the IBEW request."

The village board is expected to consider the IBEW request for height variances and other approvals to allow for the turbines at its Sept. 7 meeting.

Village trustees also directed the zoning board to consider rules for nonresidential turbines, but chose not to consider specific regulations for residential uses at this time, Smith said.

The IBEW request, initiated more than a year ago, is for two turbines, one vertical and one horizontal, at heights of 25 feet and 57 feet respectively to be installed at the rear of the training facility at routes 45 and 137.

"These are both small units. They are not industrial. They are more typical of what a resident would put up," said Dennis Malec, training director for the Lake County Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee.

Malec said the turbines, which are identical to models installed at IBEW training centers in Crystal Lake and Aurora, are not intended to be power generators but training aides for electricians.

"We have to train our people so they can go out and do this work," he said. "Wind turbines aren't going away."

Malec said the group also will study how the various models perform and can determine what's good or bad about them.

"Supposedly, the vertical turbines can work at a lower height and at a lower wind speed," for example, he said.

"We're not trying to showcase a technology that's impractical or undesirable," he added. "This is a training institution so we're trying to train for the future and research the technology."

Many communities have enacted moratoriums on wind turbines as they await final version of regulations forthcoming from Lake County.

Led by county planners, a task force of nearly two dozen towns for more than a year studied various aspects of the technology. An extensively researched, reviewed and tweaked ordinance has made its way through the county's zoning board of appeals and regional plan commission. It goes next to a county board committee on Aug. 31 and ultimately to the full board.

Main considerations have focused on the size of towers, distance from nearby properties, noise, shadow flicker and impact on wildlife.

"A lot of it will be how much do we want to regulate it based on the height of the tower," said Phil Rovang, the county's director of planning building and development.

A special county board meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 26, to tour several types of wind facilities, including the IBEW's in Crystal Lake.