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Wind Power News: New Hampshire
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch in its noncommercial educational effort to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch. They are the products of and owned by the organizations or individuals noted and are shared here according to “fair use” and “fair dealing” provisions of copyright law.
Right whales seem to not be a concern in new plans
Massachusetts fishermen say feds are hypocritical in Gulf of Maine wind energy designation. A move to designate two million acres in the Gulf of Maine as a hub for wind energy is snagging a sharp hook from Massachusetts fishermen who say the development overlooks risks to the North Atlantic right whale. A handful of Bay State fishermen advocacy groups are teaming with counterparts from across New England in criticizing the Biden administration’s plans to industrialize the area off the coasts . . . Complete story »
Feds announce possible location for Gulf of Maine wind farm
Maine’s lobster industry opposes plans for a commercial wind energy facility in a 2-million-acre swath of the gulf. Federal officials announced Friday they have identified a 2-million-acre swath of the Gulf of Maine for a commercial wind farm. The designated area ranges from about 23 to 93 miles off the coasts of Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management said the area is 80% smaller than the initial proposal and avoids lobstering areas, tribal fishing grounds, . . . Complete story »
NH SEC dismisses Antrim’s wind turbine issues
Ever since Antrim Wind Energy came online in late 2019, neighbors have been impacted by the project’s apparent failure to operate within the terms of the certificate granted by the NH Site Evaluation Committee. In 2021, “the Committee voted to have complaints filed through December 31, 2021, investigated by a three-person subcommittee” and emphasized that it “recommend to the Committee the appropriate sound measurement analysis to be used in reviewing noise complaints.” Other complaints included a radar-based system that was . . . Complete story »
Reserve margin may need to rise to 300% by 2040 as more renewables added to grid: ISO New England
“This scenario would require such a large amount of wind and solar that it may present significant challenges [to] the transmission system and require an outsized amount of land or offshore areas to be sited and developed for the necessary wind and solar farms,” the report warned. Complete story »
Electricity grid operator expecting more demand and renewables in New England
New England’s electricity grid is in for major changes, according to a yearly report from ISO New England, the organization that manages the region’s grid. The report says decarbonization will become the way of life in New England, with heating and transportation becoming electrified through technology like heat pumps and electric vehicles. That will increase regional demand for electricity. At the same time, the grid, which now predominantly runs on natural gas, will shift towards renewable energy. All New England . . . Complete story »
Antrim wind farm neighbors sue over noise-measuring ruling
Several neighbors of the Antrim wind turbines have filed a lawsuit against the state’s Site Evaluation Committee, the rulemaking body that governs wind farms, alleging they unlawfully changed interpretation of the rules around noise limitations on the Antrim Wind project. Eight citizens and New Hampshire Wind Watch filed the lawsuit in Merrimack Superior Court. The group is asking the court to find a recent ruling of the SEC concerning how it interprets its noise rules void, and that it violated . . . Complete story »
Federal regulators uphold controversial grid proposal that could slow clean energy
Despite months of protests by clean energy activists and official pleas from public figures including Elizabeth Warren, federal regulators approved a plan by the region’s energy grid operator that could slow the development of clean electricity for two years. The decision, handed down by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ( FERC), late Friday night, affirms a plan by ISO New England to wait two years to remove a mechanism that makes it harder for clean energy projects to enter the . . . Complete story »
New England task force convenes to plan the next phase of offshore wind development
Last year, President Joe Biden announced plans to start leasing areas of the Gulf of Maine to offshore wind energy developers by 2024. On Thursday, May 18, the federal Bureau Of Ocean Energy Management convened a task force of officials from Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and tribal governments to consider the next phase in the push to stand up a new “green” industry off the shores of Northern New England. Leases for wind projects have been stacking up the past . . . Complete story »
Offshore wind could create more underwater noise
Researchers at the University of New Hampshire are partnering with the first utility-scale offshore wind project approved in the U.S., Vineyard Wind, to gather data on underwater sounds and how they could affect marine life. Jennifer Miksis-Olds is the director of UNH’s Center for Acoustic Research and Education. She said balancing the need for clean energy with maintaining a healthy ocean environment is important. But it’s complicated. More development of offshore wind can bring more noise to marine environments, which . . . Complete story »
Wood heat, wind energy up for vote
Few to no residents are clamoring to put a wind turbine on their property in Boscawen, but if they do, the structures will likely be remain exempt following Town Meeting voting Tuesday. Voters will consider articles to make wind-powered or wood-heating energy systems tax exempt. The issues came up because the exemptions need to be renewed every 10 years. Voters will also be asked to allow the Conservation Commission to buy or sell property outside of the town boundaries. Last . . . Complete story »
