High upfront cost is generally the principal barrier, Stimmel said: The expense to install a windmill can range from $12,000 to $55,000. Several states offer incentives - tax and grant programs - to help.
Last fall, the Maryland Energy Administration launched a Windswept Grant Program for small wind energy projects. The pilot was spurred by the rising number of requests for assessments, said Crissy Godfrey, wind program manager for the administration.
"It's been very popular," Godfrey said of the grant. As of December, she said, there were about two dozen wind projects in Maryland, most on residential properties, the majority on the Eastern Shore.
Tim Fluharty, who owns the Tilghman-based Fluharty's Electric, has put up eight windmills - including Abey's - on the Eastern Shore, and has several dozen more proposals out from interested individuals, he said.
Fluharty installed his first about a year ago at the company vice president's house, to pique curiosity.
"We've got a lot people interested," he said, adding that he tries to overcome the "learning curve" the windmill concept usually presents by talking to people about them.
Wind users connected to the power grid can benefit by building up credits for surplus energy they produce, a supply they can fall back on when needed, Godfrey said. They can also sell power back to utilities, Godfrey and Baring-Gould said, although they don't necessarily get the same value.
The systems are nothing like the 40-story structures proposed for wind farm projects in Western Maryland and off the coast of Ocean City.
To account for changing times, many counties throughout the nation are revamping their older zoning laws, Baring-Gould said.
Earlier this month, the Carroll County commissioners approved a zoning ordinance amendment that allows property owners to install up to two "small wind energy systems," each consisting of one tower not to exceed 150 feet in height.
The amendment was the culmination of a process that began with several residents' inquiries at the end of last year, county officials said.
Mary Bowman is one of several people in the county ready to forge ahead with wind power. The Eldersburg resident has seen her monthly electric bill soar to about $425, almost three times the amount she used to pay - even while attempting to cut back on energy use by flipping on ceiling fans and reminding her children to turn off lights.
