1. “WECS” shall mean wind energy conversion system. That is, an electrical generating facility comprised of one or more wind turbines and accessory facilities, including but not limited to: power lines, transformers, substations, and meteorological towers that operate by converting the kinetic energy of wind into electrical energy. The energy maybe used on-site and/or distributed into the electrical grid.
2. “Aggregated Project” shall mean projects that are developed and operated in a coordinated fashion, but which have multiple entities separately owning one or more of the individual WECS within the larger project. Associated infrastructure such as power lines and transformers that service the facility may be owned by a separate entity but also included as part of the aggregated project.
3. “Operator” shall mean the entity responsible for the day-to-day operation and maintenance of the wind energy conversion system.
4. “Commercial WECS” shall mean a WECS of equal to or greater than one-hundred (100) kilowatts in total name plate generating capacity.
5. “Non-Commercial WECS” shall mean a WECS of less than one-hundred (100) kilowatts in total name plate generating capacity.
6. “Fall Zone” shall mean the area, defined as the furthest distance from the tower base, in which a guyed tower could collapse in the event of a structural failure. This area is commonly similar to the total height of the structure.
7. “Tower Height” shall mean the height above grade of the fixed portion of the tower, excluding the wind turbine itself.
8. “Total Height” shall mean the height above grade to a rotor blade at its highest point.
9. “Feeder Line” shall mean any power line that carries electrical power from one or more wind turbines or individuals transformers associated with individual wind turbines to the point of interconnection with the electric power grid, in the case of interconnection with the high voltage transmission systems the point of interconnection shall be the substation serving the WECS.
10. “Meteorological Tower” shall mean those towers which are erected primarily to measure wind speed and directions plus other data relevant to site WECS. Meteorological towers do not include towers and equipment used by airports, the Iowa Department of Transportation, or other similar applications to monitor weather conditions.
11. “Micro-WECS” shall mean a WECS of one (1) kilowatt name plate generating capacity or less and utilizing supporting towers of forty (40) feet or less.
12. “Non-Commercial Micro WECS” shall mean a WECS of equal to or greater than ten (10) kilowatts in total name plate generating capacity and utilizing supporting towers of one-hundred twenty (120) feet or less.
13. “Nacelle” shall mean the key components of the wind turbine, including the gearbox, yaw system, and electrical generator.
14. “Property line” shall mean the boundary line of the area over which the entity applying for a WECS permit has legal control for the purposes of installation of a WECS. This control may be attained through fee title ownership, easement, or other appropriate contractual relationship between the project developer and landowner.
15. “Participating Landowner” shall mean any landowner whose property has or is proposed to have all or a portion of a wind energy conversion system located on it pursuant to an agreement with a facility owner or operator.
16. “Non-Participating Landowner” shall mean any landowner except those on whose property all or a portion of a wind energy conversion system is located pursuant to an agreement with a facility owner or operator.
17. “Rotor diameter” shall mean the diameter of the circle described by the moving rotor blades.
18. “Guy wire” shall mean any wire extending from a wind energy conversion system for the purpose of supporting the structure.
19. “Substation” shall mean any electrical facility designed to convert electricity produced by wind turbines to a voltage greater than thirty-five thousand (35,000) volts (35 kilovolts) for interconnection with high voltage transmission lines. High voltage transmission lines shall be located outside of the road right-of-way.
20. “Tower” shall mean the tower of a wind turbine which shall include the vertical structures that support the electrical generator, rotor blades, or meteorological equipment.
21. “Occupied Structure” shall mean a residence, school, hospital, church, public library, office, or other building used for public gathering that is occupied or in use when the permit application is submitted.
22. “Transmission Line” shall mean those electrical power lines that carry voltages of at least sixty-nine thousand (69,000) volts (69 kilovolts) and are primarily used to carry electric energy over medium to long distances rather than directly interconnecting and supplying electric energy to retail customers.
23. “Shadow Flicker” shall mean alternating changes in light intensity caused by the moving blade of a wind energy conversion system casting shadows on the ground and stationary objects, such as a window at a residence.
24. “Public conservation lands” shall mean land owned in fee title by County, State, or Federal agencies and managed specifically for conservation purposes, including but not limited to State Wildlife Management Areas, State Parks, State Scientific and Natural Areas, Federal Wildlife Refuges, Hunting Preserve, and Waterfowl Production Areas. For the purpose of this chapter, public conservation lands will also include lands owned in fee title by non-profit conservation organizations. Public conservation lands do not include private lands upon which conservation easements have been sold to public agencies or non-profit conservation organizations.
25. “Wind turbine” shall mean any piece of electrical generating equipment that converts the kinetic energy of blowing wind into electrical energy through the use of airfoils or similar devices to capture the wind.
26. “Wind generator” shall mean the blades and associated mechanical and electrical conversion components mounted on the top of the tower.