‘Starbucks Rule’ Factors into Wind Farm Location

by | Oct 12, 2009

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wind farmWhen it comes to choosing a potential site for a wind farm, there’s an informal guide that calls for not placing a wind farm within 30 miles of a Starbucks location.

The so-called “Starbucks Rule” is intended to prevent protests from residential-types who would object to the sight of 250-300 foot tall wind towers in their backyards, reports BusinessWeek.

Andris Cukurs, CEO of U.S. operations for Suzion Energy, said that not only his company – but also competitors – follow this informal rule, according to the article. With operations in 21 nations, Suzion claims about 12 percent of the global wind turbine market.

A new wind farm in Texas certainly took the Starbucks rule to heart. Located more than 200 miles from Dallas, the new wind farm in west Texas is the world’s largest wind farm. See a video here.

Wind turbine sales in the U.S. are projected to grow by a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.7 percent to reach an annual production volume of almost 8,000 turbines with an average capacity of greater than 1 megawatt by 2015, according to new research.

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