Utah-based West Mountain Wind Power owner/installer Steve Painter is a dealer for Southwest Wind Power. He is installing more and more small wind systems at homes and businesses at roughly $10,000 each in Idaho, Wyoming, Washington, Oregon and Utah. Painter's systems are designed for integration with existing grids.

His business is benefiting from a greater acceptance of cities to allow small-scale wind projects, in particular those that get grid access. Painter's concern is that cities like Spanish Fork will come up with policies that are too prohibitive to homeowners or small business owners who want to jump into the wind market.

"Don't make a policy so no one can use it," Painter warned.

In the meantime, Giboney is anxious for action from Spanish Fork officials. The goal, he noted, is not to make money off of wind power.

"I'm doing it because it's the right thing to do," Giboney said. That, and it will knock "a few hundred bucks" off his utility bill each month, which can add up to long-term savings for a small company originally attracted to Spanish Fork from California for a cheaper place to do business.

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E-mail: sspeckman@desnews.com