Wayne Wind Power?

Rob Burke wonders whether or not he'll have a fight on his hands with Wayne Township. I mentioned Rob's car wash in a prior post, and how he's now blogging about his business and the environment. Rob wants to put a windmill on the car wash property that will decrease his dependence on the local power grid for electricity. Right now, he has an array of solar panels on his roof that have generated almost 5,000 kwh for the car wash. That's nice, but what if his need is more than that?

Township zoning ordinances will allow the windmill to be 50 feet high, but it needs to be 100 feet high (with 20' blades). Rob's not sure whether or not the township will fight him on putting the windmill in, but he's not optimistic.

Personally, I think they should let him, and not just because he's a friend. New Jersey has quite a few programs that help home and business owners afford things like solar panels. NJ really pushes clean energy, and there are all sorts of incentives and rebates available for forward-thinking business owners if they invest in equipment that harnesses renewable, clean energy sources. I don't think the township stepping in to block Rob's windmill idea would be very productive.

I think it would probably be a good thing if customers and passersby saw Rob's business making its own energy. It might make other business owners ask whether clean energy makes sense for their business, and prompt some consideration of the programs NJ is pushing so hard.

Rob's asking for input on his blog. If you have a few minutes, stop by and give him some words of encouragement if you feel so inclined.