(a) Lighting. WECS shall not be illuminated except as required by the Federal Aviation Administration.
(b) Structural Design. WECS shall be designed to meet all requirements of the Building Codes of the City of Springboro and all applicable state and federal regulations.
(c) Aesthetic Design. WECS shall be designed in a manner that makes them as visually unobtrusive as possible, while meeting safety requirements. To this end, towers shall be monopole. With respect to color, WECS shall be white or off-white or unpainted metal, unless other colors are required by federal regulations or unless another color is approved by the approving authority as being more effective or more appropriate in a particular instance.
(d) Signs. All installations will have a durable permanent sign warning of electric shock and identifying the manufacturer and installer with contact information for both but shall not include any off-premise advertising or any advertising for businesses or other activities located on the premises. The total area of such signs shall not exceed 2 square feet nor exceed a height of 5feet.
(e) Noise. All WECS shall comply with the noise requirements in this section. These levels may not be exceeded at any time, including short-term events such as utility outages and severe wind storms. A manufacturer's sound report shall be required with a building permit application. All noise shall meet the standards of the Noise Ordinance (Ord. 12-27, adopted 6-7-12 or succeeding ordinance).
(1) Noise Limits. No WECS located on a residential parcel shall create noise that exceeds a maximum of 35 decibels at any property line on which the WECS is located. WECS located in districts other than residential shall not create noise that exceeds a maximum of 55 decibels at any property line on which the WECS is located. Measurement of sound levels shall not be adjusted for, or averaged with, non-operating periods. Any WECS(s) exceeding these levels shall immediately cease operation upon notification by the City of Springboro and may not resume operation until the noise levels have been reduced, verified and approved by the Zoning Inspector. WECS unable to comply with these noise restrictions shall be shut down immediately and removed upon notification by the Zoning Inspector.
(f) Prohibit Climbing. The base of the tower shall be designed so it is not climbable for a distance of 12 feet, as measured from the ground.
(g) Electrical Components. All electrical components of the WECS shall conform to relevant and applicable local, state and national codes, and relevant and applicable international standards. All electrical wires associated with a WECS, other than wires necessary to connect the wind generator to the tower wiring shall be located underground.
(h) Electrical interference. No WECS shall be installed in any location where its proximity with existing fixed broadcast, retransmission, or reception antenna for radio, television, or wireless phone or other personal communication systems would produce electromagnetic interference with signal transmission or reception.
(i) Rotor Safety. Each WECS shall be equipped with both manual and automatic controls to limit the rotational speed of the blade within the design limits of the rotor. An external, manual shut-off switch shall be included with the installation. The minimum distance between the ground and any protruding blades utilized on a ground mounted WECS shall be 15 feet as measured at the lowest point of the arc of the blades.
(Ord. 0-15-4. Passed 2-19-15.)