Colorado state legislator, Rep. Rod Pelton recently introduced, HB-1165, which provides a temporary exemption from property taxation of Business Personal Property used to manufacture wind turbines at the site they will be placed into service. The temporary exemption would last for ten years, beginning in 2020 and ending in 2030.
On-site manufacturing allows for taller wind turbines which capture more wind energy and produce electricity cheaper than shorter ones. The next generation of wind turbines will sit on towers approximately 500 to 600 ft tall compared to current towers that are around 300 ft tall.
Physical limits on the diameter of wind turbine towers that can be transported over highways have limited the height of wind turbines. Rep. Pelton’s bill provides an incentive for wind developers using the emerging technology of on-site manufacturing to site future wind farms in Colorado.
More wind development in Colorado will increase the economic impact of the wind industry which has a serious benefit to rural communities. Wind farms pay property taxes, unaffected by this bill, that benefit counties, school districts, fire districts, library districts, and water districts. On-site wind turbine manufacturing facilities are estimated to create 50 to 100 local jobs depending on the size of the project. Currently, wind farms are estimated to pay land owners in Colorado nearly $8 million in annual lease payments.
A temporary exemption from BPPT in Colorado will drive the next generation of wind turbine construction to be located in the state and rural communities will benefit from the economic impact of the decade’s long lifespan of the wind farms.