(A) All installed equipment shall conform to applicable industry standards and the application shall include certificates of design compliance of the proposed equipment from nationally recognized third parties in the business of certifying compliance.
(B) All WECS towers shall be installed with a tubular, monopole type tower. Meteorological towers may be guyed. All WECS towers and solar panels shall be uniform in design and appearance.
(C) All WECS towers shall be equipped with a redundant braking system. This includes both aerodynamic over-speed controls (including variable pitch, tip, and other similar systems) and mechanical brakes. Mechanical brakes shall be operated in a fail-safe mode. Stall regulation shall not be considered a sufficient braking system for over-speed protection.
(D) All electrical components of the project shall conform to applicable local, state, and national codes, and relevant national and international standards.
(E) WECS towers and blades shall be painted with non-reflective white or gray color. The applicant shall comply with all applicable Federal Aviation Administration color requirements. No advertising or signage shall be allowed on a WECS tower, except for manufacturer's name on the nacelle.
(F) A visible warning sign concerning voltage must be placed at the base of all pad-mounted transformers and substations.
(G) All WECS tower designs must include features to deter climbing or be protected by anti-climbing devices such as: (1) fences with locking portals at least eight feet high; (2) anti-climbing devices 15 feet vertically from the base of the wind tower; and/or (3) locked wind tower doors. All solar panels and accessory buildings for the project must be fenced in with a fence not less than seven feet in height, shall not include any barbed or high tensile wire, shall be of a type compatible with the character of the zoned area, and shall be compliant with applicable NEC standards.
(H) All warning lights in the project shall conform to best industry practices to reduce impacts on migrating birds and other wildlife. No red pulsating incandescent lights or white strobe lights shall be installed. All lighting shall be in compliance with applicable Federal Aviation Administration regulations. All lighting shall be shielded so that no glare extends substantially beyond the boundaries of the project and installed lights shall be Dark Sky certified.
(I) At any non-participating landowner's residential lot, public school, public library, or recreational area within one-quarter mile of the project boundaries, for a period of more than 10% out of every hour, the audible A-weighted sound pressure levels as a result of the sound emitted by the project shall not exceed either, the greater of 45 decibels, or five decibels above the ambient baseline sound pressure level of the project at critical wind speeds. The ambient baseline sound pressure level, if used, shall be determined by a baseline acoustic emissions study conducted by the County Area Plan Commission and funded by the applicant. Measurement of sound and vibration levels shall be conducted adhering to best practices within the applicable industry and in compliance with all other applicable county, state and federal regulations.
(J) The maximum WECS turbine shadow flicker experiences at a non-participating landowner dwelling shall be zero. Measurements to assess shadow flicker shall be for all non-participating landowner dwellings located within 0.6 miles or 3,168 feet of a turbine. If shadow flicker will exceed this level then a shadow flicker mitigation plan must be submitted for each affected non-participating dwelling which shall provide for zero shadow flicker for the affected non-participating dwelling.
(K) The minimum distance between the ground and any protruding blade(s) utilized on a WECS tower shall be 50 feet, as measured at the lowest point of the arc of the blades. The minimum distance shall be increased as necessary to provide for vehicle clearance in locations where over-sized vehicles might travel.
(Ord. 20-07, passed 3-4-20; Am. Ord. 2021-11, passed 6-2-21)