Wind Power News: New Jersey
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.
BRSA turbine parts damaged during Sandy
A significant portion of the Bayshore Regional Sewerage Authority’s multimillion dollar wind turbine was heavily damaged during superstorm Sandy, according to BRSA Executive Director Robert Fischer. The turbine’s nacelle — which contains vital components such as the generator and gearbox — was likely lost during massive flooding at the Port of Newark on Oct. 29. “It’s been damaged to the point where there is a likelihood it will have to be returned to General Electric,” Fischer said in a March . . .
Paying for solar and wind: Too much green for green?
Thousands upon thousands of turbine blades churning away in the wind. Thousands upon thousands of solar panels soaking up the sun. Electricity flowing inexhaustibly. Clean. Cheap. Well, maybe hold off on “cheap” for right now. Turns out that’s being debated. Nevertheless, New Jersey’s going all in on “renewable” energy. Solar and wind. Two powerful forces are behind the state’s push for “green” electricity: Public Service Electric & Gas (PSE&G), the state’s biggest utility. And Chris Christie, governor. The push for . . .
At $200M, Fishermen’s Energy pilot wind farm still too pricey for Rate Counsel
It could cost utility customers as much as $200 million to build a pilot project to demonstrate the viability of offshore wind farms along the Jersey coast, according to the New Jersey Division of Rate Counsel. In an interview on WHYY in Philadelphia on the station’s Radio Times show, Stefanie Brand, director of the division, yesterday said the pilot project nearly three miles off Atlantic City, is still opposed by her office. “It’s just too expensive,’’ she said. The Fishermen’s . . .
Elusive offshore wind pilot moves closer to go/no-go decision
By the end of June, the state may decide if an offshore wind farm will be built about three miles from Atlantic City’s beaches. In an order signed last Thursday, the New Jersey Board of Utilities established a procedural schedule, saying it expects to take action on the proposal by June 30 — an application that has been pending before the regulatory agency since May 2011. The Fishermen’s Atlantic City wind farm is the first of several proposals to locate . . .
Winds of change at BRSA; Sewage authority board replaces longtime attorney, vows to shelve turbine plans
So far, 2013 has proved to be a radical year for the Bayshore Regional Sewerage Authority (BRSA). After swearing in four new commissioners in January, the authority’s board ousted longtime attorney Louis Granata on Feb. 25 and replaced him with former Hazlet Township attorney James Gorman. The motion to reappoint Granata during the board’s annual reorganization meeting was voted down, 4-2, after a 15-minute closed-session conference among the commissioners. Hazlet commissioners Walter Vella and Louis Pisano were the only members . . .
US poised to sell offshore wind leases
A year after designating large swaths of federal water south of Martha’s Vineyard as ideal for offshore wind development, the government is preparing to hold competitive lease sales for plots inside one of those wind energy areas this summer, outgoing Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said Tuesday. Lease sales inside the expanse covering roughly 257 square miles — and others inside another plot off the coast of Virginia — will be the first of their kind, Salazar told a . . .
Offshore wind farms get a slow start in New Jersey
U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar promised to speed approvals for the nation’s offshore wind farms in 2010, when he met with industry leaders in Atlantic City. Since then, thousands of new windmills have been built in the United States — enough to power almost 15 million homes. But they’re all spinning over land. Every offshore wind farm proposed in New Jersey and the rest of the Atlantic seaboard remains grounded. The promises of new manufacturing jobs and a new energy . . .
Proposed wind farm off Atlantic City coast stirs debate over costs
How many tourists would travel to Atlantic City to view the nation’s first offshore wind farm? Fishermen’s Energy, which has proposed building five giant turbines about 2.8 miles off the resort city’s beaches, estimates 4.5 million people a year would visit the site, according to a consultant’s report that recommends the state should turn down the project because it is too costly. Fishermen’s Atlantic City Windfarm anticipates more visitors each year than the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., . . .
Bedminster Township solar plant opponents mobilize with web site
BEDMINSTER TWP. – Technicalities have held up a controversial proposal to cover much of a farm with solar panels, but that hasn’t stopped objectors from continuing to mobilize. The objectors, in an email sent to more than 170 residents on Saturday, Feb. 16, encouraged turnout at upcoming town meetings and announced the creation of a web site, PreserveBedminster.com. “We will keep you informed with updates, fund raisers and newspaper articles as they come in,” said the email sent out by . . .
Don’t turn open spaces into solar farms
As you may be aware, solar panel power plant development in New Jersey has the strong support of conservationists and the Christie administration, to the extent that substantial subsidies/incentives are provided. In our state government’s enthusiasm to support the advancement of alternative energy sources they included the designation of “inherently beneficial use” for solar and wind energy facilities, which in a zoning variance application provides the developer a leg up in seeking approval for a use zoning variance application. Many, . . .
