Mar 10 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Hank Shaw The Record, Stockton, Calif.

Lodi Assemblyman Alan Nakanishi wants to blow down any roadblocks to installing a new, smaller breed of wind-energy turbines on commercial buildings all over California.

Most cities and counties have ordinances that require building owners to get a special variance for any structure on their roof that's taller than 15 feet and not set back from the roof's edge. Nakanishi's bill would eliminate that restriction for small wind turbines.

The Legislature did this with solar a few years back when Assemblywoman Lois Wolk, D-Davis, sponsored legislation aimed at fostering the solar energy industry.

But solar energy doesn't mar the skyline, as some critics say.

Nakanishi, a Republican, decided to sponsor his legislation after talking with El Dorado Hills resident Paul Misso, who runs Folsom-based Marquiss Wind Power. Marquiss, named after Amador County resident Stanley Marquiss, who invented the new style of turbine, is beginning to market 19-foot-tall, boxy turbines intended to be mounted atop commercial and industrial buildings.

In a windy area such as Tracy, each turbine can produce up to 150 kilowatt-hours of energy per day -- not enough to power a business, but enough to supplement its needs. The average household uses 10,000 kilowatt-hours of energy per year, according to the American Wind Energy Association. Over the course of a year, each turbine could be expected to generate the equivalent of five households' worth of power.

Two companies already have the turbines installed, including the Teichert plant in Vernalis. Misso said he is planning to install several in Stockton soon.

He says the legislation would be a boon to the nascent wind-energy industry, which is expanding beyond the gigantic windmills that line the Altamont Pass into smaller, nimbler forms such as the one Marquiss is selling.

Installing the new style of turbines can be an arduous process because securing the special permits for each set can take months, Misso said. It also puts the wind industry at a competitive disadvantage against the solar industry.

Misso said Wolk's legislation "effectively gave solar a free pass to the rooftops. We're looking for the home run, to get the free pass around the state, too. That would be a great result."

Nakanishi spokesman Jeff Hale said the legislation may require tweaking to pass. Local government advocates are expected to take a dim view of any restriction on their powers, and the critics of wind energy are many.

The bird issue is one of the potential pitfalls: The giant turbines along the Altamont Pass chop up birds at an alarming rate, a problem that segment of the industry is spending millions each year to fix.

Misso says his turbines don't have the same problem. Not one bird has flown into the unit at Teichert in Vernalis since it was installed Nov. 14, Misso said. In addition, the company will install a fine mesh in front of future units as an extra safety measure.

Misso said he is cautiously optimistic about Nakanishi's legislation. Hale said, "It's a work in progress."

The bill, AB2830, is expected to be heard in committee next month.

Contact Capitol Bureau Chief Hank Shaw at (916) 441-4078 or sacto@recordnet.com.