County revokes permit law for energy systems
Many Skagit County residents using small renewable energy systems can knock up to $3,000 off their investment total starting this month.
An Administrative Official Interpretation was issued July 1 from Skagit County Planning Director Gary Christensen, eliminating the need of a special use permit for small systems after user complaints caused the department to rethink development codes.
Brandon Black, senior planning team supervisor for the planning department, said the codes do not include distinct regulations for popular energy savers including solar panels and wind turbines.
Under the current codes, a special use permit was required based on how the energy system was used. Anything used for a single household was considered a minor utility and only required a building permit and a $500 State Environmental Policy Act fee. Energy systems connected to a utility provider’s power grid were considered major utilities and required a special use permit, the cost of which could exceed $3,000.
Gary Smith, project manager at Highland Communications Inc., a corporation that contracts these energy systems, said most renewable energy users are hooked in a grid. With this set up, users simultaneously create power as they are using it from their utility provider. The energy created by these systems goes back to the grid for use by other residents.
The incentive to having this system is found by net metering, a state mandate allowing users to lessen their monthly electrical costs based on the power they produce. Users can also receive a production incentive where they are paid for the energy they put back into the grid. The pay out, which is furnished by utility providers, is then reimbursed by the state.
Black said the first wind tower to require a special use permit was located on Guemes Island. The tower was about 50 feet tall and was used to attract others to the idea of renewable energy systems.
Black said the demonstration worked. In the past year, he said he has seen a spike in the number of businesses applying for a permit. Black said there are many private residents who also want to be “self-sufficient” and “off the grid as much as possible.”
Frank Campbell, general manager of Highland Communications Inc., said a common misconception is that users of these energy systems are making money and thus, a special use permit is needed. The reality, he said, is the opposite.
“By no means are you going to retire by putting a wind (turbine) up,” Campbell said.
The average solar panel installation cost is $10 per watt, Smith said, and with most panels being made to output 200 watts, the price per panel can add up. He said an average wind turbine has an output of 2 kilowatts, running a bill of about $20,000.
“It’s not a profit thing unless you go at it in a big big way,” he said.
For businesses who have large energy systems and produce power for profit, a special use permit is still required. Smith said most individuals who opt into renewable energy are simply frustrated with the recent energy crisis and want to do their part.
Despite the wave of popularity, Smith said, the county is far behind other areas. He said the county’s code revision will act as a chance for the planning department to better understand the benefits of these systems.
The American Wind Energy Association has provided the planning department with a set of standards, Smith said, by which he hopes they will model the new codes.
Black said the code creation process, being that it is not the highest priority for the planning department, will develop over the next two years. He said the new codes should take the guess work out of which systems will require a permit.
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