Wind Power News: California
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They are the products of the organizations or individuals noted and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch.
Man electrocuted while cleaning wind turbine in Solano County
A man in his 30s was hospitalized Wednesday morning after being electrocuted as he worked on a wind turbine in eastern Solano County, officials reported. The unidentified victim was cleaning inside the turbine’s tower out at the end of Stewart Lane in Rio Vista shortly before 11 a.m. when the accident took place, said Montezuma Fire Protection District Asst. Chief Dan Schindler. Part of an ongoing project, the turbine supposedly did not have power running to it but had been . . .
BPA proposes plan to pay wind developers to reduce power when rivers high
The Bonneville Power Administration today proposed paying wind energy developers for reducing output to help balance the electricity supply during high river flows. If BPA decides to proceed with the compensation proposal, it would seek to split the cost equally between customers including electrical cooperatives and public utilities like Idaho Falls Power, and wind developers. BPA is releasing its proposal for public review now so the agency can meet a March 6 deadline for filing the proposal with the Federal . . .
BPA offers to split costs when it pulls the plug on wind farms
The Bonneville Power Administration has proposed to cover half the cost of wind farms’ lost revenue when it shuts off their output because there is too much hydropower already being generated in the region. Renewables advocates said Tuesday that the approach is unacceptable. The cost-sharing proposal is the latest bid to end a dispute that began this spring, when the federal power marketing agency accommodated the massive spring runoff and resulting surge in power production by cutting off wind farms . . .
Bedford v. Santa Barbara County
BEDFORD v. SANTA BARBARA COUNTY GEORGE BEDFORD et al., Plaintiffs and Appellants, v. SANTA BARBARA COUNTY et al., Defendants and Respondents; ACCIONA ENERGY USA et al., Real Parties in Interest and Respondents. 2d Civil No. B228958. Court of Appeals of California, Second District, Division Six. Filed February 2, 2012. Brenneman, Juarez & Adam, Richard C. Brenneman, Richard E. Adam, Jr., and Mario A. Juarez Jr. for Plaintiffs and Appellants. Dennis A. Marshall, County Counsel, Michael C. Ghizzoni, Chief Assistant, William. . . .
Color hydroelectric power green
There is a law of unintended consequences. When Gov. Brown signed a bill by state Sen. Joe Simitan (D-Palo Alto) into law, it meant private and public utilities must get 33 percent of their electricity from renewable energy sources by 2020. That’s up from the present 20 percent. The senator said in a news release that the bill “confirmed California’s long-term commitment to clean green energy.” He meant power from the wind and sun. But it also put one of . . .
Sacrificing the desert to save the Earth
Environmentalists are torn over the high cost of breaking reliance on fossil fuels. Public comment has been sought, but insiders are calling the shots. Reporting from Ivanpah Valley, Calif.— Construction cranes rise like storks 40 stories above the Mojave Desert. In their midst, the “power tower” emerges, wrapped in scaffolding and looking like a multistage rocket. Clustered nearby are hangar-sized assembly buildings, looming berms of sand and a chain mail of fencing that will enclose more than 3,500 acres of . . .
Save community planning groups from developer-backed scheme to squelch local input
“People will never hear about projects until after they’re done if this [elimination of planning groups] goes through.” – Mark Ostrander, chair, Jacumba sponsor group February 2, 2012 (San Diego’s East County) – I’ve rarely published an editorial, reserving my opinion for only those matters with the gravest of consequences for East County. One such matter will come before San Diego’s Supervisors on February 29, when supervisors will vote on whether or not to eliminate all community planning groups countywide. . . .
Schwarzenegger fund buys $30m stake in wind group Gamesa
US based investment fund Dimensional Fund Advisor (DFA) – partly owned by former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger – has bought a 3% stake in Spanish wind turbine manufacturer Gamesa. The purchase is revealed in a notification sent to Spain’s financial markets regulator the CNMV. DFA becomes one of Gamesa’s largest shareholders alongside Spanish utility Iberdrola, which has 19.6%, and Blackrock Inc which holds 4.9%. DFA’s 7.47 million Gamesa shares are worth about €23m ($30.3m) at current market prices.
Standing room only crowd at CPUC hearing in Jacumba on ECO Substation
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) held a public participation hearing at the Jacumba Highland Center on January 24. Presided over by an administrative law judge, the honorable Hallie Yacknin, this hearing provided an opportunity for interested members of the public to express their views on San Diego Gas & Electric’s (SDG&E) application for a permit to construct the East County Substation Project (ECO Substation). The project would include a new 500/230/138 kilovolt (kV) electric substation, a new 500 kV . . .
BLM Resource Advisory Councils to meet in Redding
The U. S. Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) resource advisory councils for northeast and northwest California will meet individually and in joint session Wednesday through Friday, Feb. 8-10, at the Oxford Suites Conference Center on Hilltop Drive in Redding. The meetings and a field tour are open to the public. Members of the Northeast California RAC will convene from 1 to 5 p.m. on Feb. 8. Time for public comments has been reserved at 4 p.m. Agenda items include recommendations . . .
