San Francisco wants to be the new “Windy City.” It has a quite a ways to go to becoming wind-energy dependent—there is yet to be a single wind-powered municipal building—but the city is trying to make it easier for home and small-business owners to harness this mighty renewable resource. Here’s a breakdown of the necessary steps to follow and a list of manufacturers and distributors who make and sell wind turbines in San Francisco and beyond.

Earlier this year the city created an Urban Wind Power Taskforce, which met for the first time in mid-July. The overarching goal is to help bring more wind power to more people more efficiently, with specific goals including reworking wind permit requirements, collecting more information about San Francisco wind patterns, and creating an online wind resource map, much like its existing online solar map or Sungevity’s online solar resource map.

I called San Francisco Department of the Environment's renewable energy program manager Johanna Partin, who is coordinating the Urban Wind Power Taskforce, for tips on how to set up a wind turbine system.

How to: Become Wind-Energy Dependent
(1)    Test your available wind power. Before you can decide what type of wind turbine best suits your needs, you have to find out what your needs are. By installing an anemometer where you intend on installing a wind turbine and recording data for 6 months, you’ll know what your home’s average wind speed is and what type of wind you experience (gusts, steady wind, etc.) Anemometers are sold at many hardware stores and usually cost $75-150.
(2)    Pick your turbine. The data you collected will help you determine what kind of turbine system you need. Bring your data with you when you meet with a turbine system distributor.
(3)    Apply for a permit. In San Francisco, this requires submitting plans—including drawings and details about the turbine system that will be installed—to the Department of Building Inspection and the Department of Planning. Permits are reviewed on a case-by-case basis but the city hopes to create a streamlined process when the demand for residential and small commercial turbines increases.
(4)    Install your turbine. Once you’re issued a permit, you’re ready to power up. If you choose to connect to the grid, you need to take one more step.
(5)    Connect to the grid. Similar to using solar energy, connecting your wind power to the grid allows you to qualify for net metering. When your system creates more energy than you need, it pumps it into the grid and you receive energy credits. When you use more energy than your system is creating, you can use power from the grid and cash in your credit or pay for the addition energy you use that’s not from your renewable system. There is no disruption in service when you switch from using power from your turbine system to power from the grid and vice versa. Contact your local power authority to connect your system to the grid.
 
Resource: Wind Power Manufacturers and Distributors
To help get you started, here are three companies who have installed wind turbine systems in San Francisco and six more interested in making SF the new Windy City.

Blue Green Pacific sells residential- and commercial-use vertical axis wind turbines. The company has installed two residential systems in San Francisco. For more information, visit their website or call 415-446-8196.

Synergy California sells multiple types of residential- and commercial-use turbines. The company has installed one system at San Francisco’s Randall Museum and have several planned for the new San Francisco Public Utilities Commission building. For more information, visit their website or call 415-290-4990.

Whirligig, Inc. sells residential- and commercial-use horizontal axis wind turbines. The company has one residential system installed in San Francisco’s Mission district. For more information, visit their website or call 415-525-3800.

Bluenergy Solarwind, Inc. sells residential- and commercial-use vertical axis wind turbine-solar hybrid systems. The company does not yet have any installations in San Francisco. For more information, visit their website or call 505-474-3166.

Green Energy Technology sells commercial-use ducted wind turbines. The company does not yet have any installations in San Francisco. For more information, visit their website or call 330-388-3701.

Helix Wind sells residential- and commercial-use vertical axis wind turbines. The company does not yet have any installations in San Francisco. For more information, visit their website or call 619-573-9816.

Marquiss Wind Power sells commercial-use ducted wind turbines. The company does not yet have any installations in San Francisco. For more information, visit their website or call 916-932-7192.

Windation Energy Systems sells commercial-use ducted wind turbines. The company does not yet have any installations in San Francisco. For more information, visit their website or call 650-585-4451 or 415-259-1423.

WindTerra sells residential- and commercial-use vertical axis wind turbines. The company does not yet have any installations in San Francisco. For more information, visit their website or call 925-413-6216 or 925-858-6795.

Image courtesy of flickr user javajimmy1090.