Wind Power News: Tennessee
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.
TVA announces cleaner energy plans
Tennessee can expect more nuclear and renewable energy over the next 20 years, but a lot less coal. Today the Tennessee Valley Authority announced their plan to meet rising energy needs while remaining environmentally friendly. The proposal recommends eliminating coal dependency by as much as a third. The utility’s coal use has been under the microscope since an ash spill in late 2008, but as of last year it was still the most used fuel source. Meanwhile, reliance on renewable . . .
TVA aiming for more ‘low-cost,’ clean power
NORRIS, Tenn. — With no clear national energy policy but new regulations expected, Tennessee Valley Authority executives say they’re hedging their bets, hoping to be one of the nation’s leading providers of low-cost and cleaner energy by 2020. “We know changes are coming,” including changes in emissions standards, said John McCormick, TVA senior vice president of river operations. During a recent media tour of Norris Dam, McCormick said the nation’s largest public utility wants to lead the country in providing . . .
Metro Water, Vandy plan wind, solar energy project
Vanderbilt University and Metro Water Services will soon embark on a wind and solar energy project at one of the highest points in the city. Vanderbilt’s mechanical engineering students will measure and monitor the wind and solar energy collected at Love Circle, which sits approximately 150 feet higher than the Nashville International Airport, said Amrutur Anilkumar, Vanderbilt mechanical engineering professor. A sustainable amount of wind energy can be collected at high points during the fall and early spring, he said. . . .
TVA expecting windfall of green-energy credits
When TVA buys electricity from producers of renewable energy, there’s more to the transaction than exchanging dollars. Attached to each megawatt hour is a renewable energy certificate, which has a value determined at state and international auctions, in large part, because it allows buyers to offset their carbon emissions and sellers to reap additional revenues in addition to the power they produce. RECs aren’t new, but they haven’t made much local relevance until recently. Tennessee doesn’t have a renewable portfolio . . .
Commissioners given petitions opposing Lookout Mountain wind project
Members of the Lookout Mountain Wind Project Task Force (LMWPTF) have presented 549 signed petitions in opposition of the potential development of an Industrial Scale Wind Turbine Farm on Lookout Mountain by Iberdrola Renewables, a Spanish Company. Chattooga County Commissioner Jason Winters and Walker County Commissioner Bebe Heiskell received the petitions from Pam Vias and Carl McCleskey of the LMWPTF. The 549 petitions were gathered online or manually in the last 36 days. The petition states opposition “to the industrialization . . .
Windmill company reconsidering farm along top of Lookout Mountain
Copleman had said the firm is contemplating up to 120 wind turbines if tests show the wind is right along the mountain’s crest. The turbines normally are 300 feet tall and have two or three 135-foot blades.
Lookout Mountain residents organize against proposed wind farm
A large group of Lookout Mountain residents gathered Saturday, Sept. 25, to voice their opinions on a proposed wind farm on the mountain. The opinions ranged from skeptical to outright opposition. According to residents, a land acquisition specialist from Iberdrola Renewables has been contacting residents in recent weeks about leasing their property for an 80-120 wind turbine project. Iberdrola has currently completed 40 wind farms in 17 states, along with having several other projects in the works, according to its . . .
Windstorm of debate
A proposal to put 120 windmills — each as tall as a football field is long — on the brow of Lookout Mountain is blowing up a windstorm of debate. “They’re loud. They vibrate,” said Carl McCleskey, of Cloudland, Ga. “This mountain has 2,000 caves in it and a geology like Swiss cheese. And when they blast to put these in, what’s going to happen to our water [wells, if the rocks shift]?” Iberdrola Renewables, based in Spain, proposes a . . .
Lookout Mountain residents fighting plan for wind turbines
Lookout Mountain residents near Ga. 157 have been contacted about a potential wind turbine farm being located in the area. Residents were approached last week (Sept, 13-17) by a representative of Iberdrola Renewables, which claims to be the worldwide leader in wind turbines, with their turbines in 26 U.S. sites in 15 states, predominantly in the Midwest and West Coast. The power company wants to build 120 wind turbines, which each measure 300 feet tall with 150-foot blades for a . . .
Residents express concerns for proposed wind energy
A power company is eyeing portions of Lookout Mountain in Northwest Georgia as a possible location for wind turbines, something that some area residents say they don’t want. “It’s just a no-no situation anyway you look, not just on Lookout Mountain, but all over the world,” said J.B. Smith, who was approached by Oregon-based Iberdrola Renewables about his property in Cloudland, Ga., atop Lookout Mountain in Chattooga County. In talks with representatives from the company, residents say Iberdrola proposes about . . .
