NextStep

Sep 26, 2012
Planning and Zoning for Small Wind and Solar

Wednesday, September 26, 2012 - 8:30 am - 12:00 pm

Location: Arrowwood Resort and Conference Center
2100 Arrowwood Lane
Alexandria, Minnesota

Almost everyone supports renewable energy. But how does your comprehensive plan and development regulation address your community's solar energy resource? What standards does your community use to balance between productive wind energy resources and protecting community character? What the heck is "distributed generation" and why should planners care?

Solar and small wind installations are coming soon to your community (whether you like it or not). But most citizen planners (and even professional planners!) have little experience with renewable energy from a land use or economic development perspective.

This half-day workshop will review the rapidly evolving world of community-scale solar and wind energy markets, technologies, and regulation, with a special emphasis on the planning profession's best practices for addressing renewable energy resources in plans and development regulation.

Topics include:

* Market trends in renewable energy and renewable energy technologies.
* The hows and whys of addressing solar and wind energy resources in local plans and policies
* The types of conflicts that arise with solar and wind energy installations, and distinguishing between real and perceived nuisances.
* The different technologies for harvesting local renewable energy and how different technologies can create different considerations in development regulation.
* Opportunities for local renewable energy incentives to meet your sustainability, economic development, or energy independence goals.

Hosted by Mn APA/GTS Educational Events

Cost: $75.00

Register for this workshop with the Minnesota American Planning Association conference. Registration for the rest of the conference is not necessary.

For more details, see the web site below or http://www.cleanenergyresourceteams.org/event/planning-and-zoning-small-wind-and-solar

For more information, contact:
GTS Educational Events, http://mngts.org/LandUse/

Region:   Central, Northwest
Topics:   Communities, Energy, Land Use
Audience:   All

Submitted By:  Brian Ross

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