After years of debate and foot dragging, it now looks like commercial wind power is about to take off in Vermont.

There are five wind farms in active development right now. If all are approved, they could provide as much as 200 megawatts of power, or up to about 7 percent of Vermont's electricity.

Last Thursday, the Public Service Board gave its conditional approval to the 15-turbine, 30-megawatt Deerfield Wind project in Searsburg and Readsboro.

Deerfield Wind is the second project in a row to receive the PSB's approval. Sheffield Wind, the Northeast Kingdom project which the PSB approved in 2006, is awaiting the outcome of an appeal of a stormwater permit.

Vermont Community Wind recently unveiled plans for an 80-megawatt wind farm on 4,000 acres in Ira, a town near Rutland. That project is far enough along that the PSB is seeking a consultant to assess potential aesthetic and noise effects.

Georgia Mountain Community Wind recently filed an application for state approval for a 3-5 turbine wind farm in Milton, making it Chittenden County's first commercial wind project. Last week, the project got a $75,000 grant from the state's Clean Energy Development Fund to cover some of the pre-development costs.

And a property owner in the northern Vermont town of Lowell has begun talks with two utilities and other landowners about building a wind farm on Lowell Mountain that could generate up to 40 megawatts of power.

The Vermont Legislature is trying to push things along. The House Natural Resources Committee recently signed off on a bill that would make it easier to site wind turbines on state-owned land.

These are all welcome developments. While neighboring states have moved forward on wind projects, Vermont hasn't built a commercial wind farm since Green Mountain Power erected its turbines in Searsburg 12 years ago.

Given the vehement opposition of Gov. James Douglas to large-scale wind farms and the numerous aesthetic and environmental objections that have scuttled projects in Londonderry and Manchester, Vermont has gained the reputation as being a difficult place for developing commercial wind projects.

For example, while the PSB did approve the Deerfield Wind project, it attached several conditions to its approval. First, Deerfield Wind has to prove its economic worth to the state by submitting power contacts to Vermont utilities to sell the power at a competitive market price. Second, Deerfield Wind has to come up with alternative bear habitat to replace the land that will need to be cleared for the turbines.

People may make aesthetic and environmental objections, and there is always the inevitable infighting that happens whenever any development is proposed in Vermont. But developers are learning lessons as they go along. They are adjusting plans to fit the peculiarities of Vermont -- such as the way the Milton, Ira and Lowell proposals are billed as "community" wind projects to emphasize local ownership and by making commitments to selling power to local utilities. Given the emphasis on localism in Vermont, it may make wind power an easier sell.

These wind projects, and others still in the planning stages, have the potential of giving Vermont a stable supply of clean, renewable electricity. Combined with hydro, solar and wood-powered facilities, this state may be able to get a significant portion of its electrical power from non-fossil fuel sources in the coming years.

We believe the state should push this process along as much as possible. It will be good for the environment and good for Vermont's economy.

http://www.reformer.com/opinion/ci_12198856