What policies can help grow the market for small wind turbines?
A substantial up-front tax credit or rebate for consumers is the single most effective policy that states have used to help homeowners and small businesses purchase small wind systems. Demand for small turbines is high, but costs are often prohibitive. Such incentive programs are often funded by a very small “system benefits charge” on every kilowatt-hour of electricity that is delivered by utilities in a state (funding from the charge is usually used for a variety of measures to promote energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy sources). On October 3, 2008 the federal government enacted an investment (up-front) tax credit, available through December 31, 2016, to help consumers purchase small wind systems. See www.awea.org/legislative or http://dsireusa.org for details Other policies that can help Small Wind are: streamlined zoning and permitting processes, net metering policies, standardized grid-interconnection regulations, and the (upcoming) formation of a certification proc
