Wind Power News: Virginia
| RSS | Virginia |
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.
Investors should be wary of Highland wind project
Indeed, investors should pay due diligence in the consideration of the potential risks before investing in the Highland New Wind Development project. In many respects they would be investing in a pig in a poke scenario because of the multiplex unanswered questions concerning the project.
For example, it is not yet known whether the project sites on Red Oak Knob and Tamarack Ridge have had a verified, authenticated, unbiased, year-round study that has recorded wind velocity and constancy. Without such . . .
Complete story (plus email and print links) »
Scientists urged protection for W.Va. squirrel
Against the advice of outside experts, the Bush administration today will formally remove the West Virginia northern flying squirrel from the endangered species list.
Interior Secretary Dick Kempthorne announced the move Monday, in a news release that credited conservation efforts and habitat restoration with rescuing the squirrel from the brink of extinction.
But two of three academic experts brought in by the Interior Department recommended against the delisting.
Those outside scientists backed wildlife advocates who said the agency had little . . .
Complete story (plus email and print links) »
Interest in wind power has Beach looking at controls
VIRGINIA BEACH — It’s no surprise that John Devan would want to install a 33-foot-tall windmill in the Corporate Landing Business Park to power his building.
Devan is president of the electric engineering firm Pace Collaborative and enjoys giving tours of all the energy-efficient light fixtures in his office.
What has taken Virginia Beach officials by surprise is the number of other business owners and residents who are inquiring about propping up their own windmills.
“I am averaging one or two calls a . . .
Complete story (plus email and print links) »
Zero in on land protection
Commercial wind turbines don’t belong in Bath or Highland, but given the astounding momentum the industry has picked up in recent months, driven largely by the presidential race and those simmering in Congress, residents here are beginning to lose hope of preventing a proliferation of towers on the ridges that surround their homes.
It’s no wonder.
Everyone from Barack Obama to T. Boone Pickens, and even Virginians circling General Assembly seats, and those seeking Congressional roles like Mark Warner, has . . .
Complete story (plus email and print links) »
Beware the wind energy hot air
Oil billionaire T. Boone Pickens is being disingenuous, telling one thing to the American people and another to Congress.
He has repeatedly said that no government help is needed to pursue his plan to build the world’s largest wind farm in the Texas Panhandle. Yet he is lobbying hard for extension of the Production Tax Credit and National Renewable Energy Zones — essentially a huge tax shelter for wind industry investors and expedited eminent domain for transmission corridors.
The real innovation here . . .
Complete story (plus email and print links) »
Bath to test wind energy site scoring
Are the winds of change about to blow through Bath County? While Bath has not been involved in prospective wind energy to the same extent as neighboring Highland County, the board of supervisors has agreed to have the county become the test location for a system that scores parcels of land for their suitability for wind development.
At this point, no requests for wind facility permits have been received in Bath. In Highland, meanwhile, Highland New Wind Development is seeking investors . . .
Complete story (plus email and print links) »
Finding good places for wind towers with scores
Last month, the Bath County Board of Supervisors agreed to enter into a memorandum of understanding with James Madison University to field test the Virginia Renewables Site Scoring System, also known as VRS3, for wind energy utilities.
VRS3 is the result of a mandate in the Virginia Energy Plan, which was passed by the General Assembly in 2006, to develop numerical “scores” to analyze land as to its suitability for wind or solar energy systems.
Bath County attorney Michael Collins is reviewing . . .
Complete story (plus email and print links) »
Wind energy address in Bath's plan
In the Bath County Comprehensive Plan, the Virginia Renewables Site Scoring System is described as a tool for counties, regions and communities to assist them in evaluating land in a quantitative fashion as they consider potential wind and solar power projects.
However, the comprehensive plan also indicates the importance of having Bath County set its own guidelines concerning renewable energy resources. “While Bath County intends to examine and consider all sites labeled as suitable for renewable energy development by the VRS3, . . .
Complete story (plus email and print links) »
Highland New Wind gets close to securing deal with investors
Highland New Wind Development continues to negotiate with investors for the company’s proposed 39-megawatt commercial industrial wind facility in Highland County, but a deal has not yet been struck.
John Flora, attorney for Highland New Wind Development LLC, delivered a project update to Highland supervisors Tuesday. HNWD owner Henry T. “Mac” MacBride attended the meeting, but did not address the board.
“I have every reason to hope that we will actually have something signed yet this week. We are that close. We . . .
Complete story (plus email and print links) »
Grant County wind farm
Mount Storm, W.Va. — They’re up and they’re spinning. Dozens of wind turbines in Grant County are generating electricity, though they haven’t been without problems.
Crossing into Virginia, there’s a proposal for about 130 wind turbines to be built in the George Washington National Forest, as well as a much smaller operation in Highland County. However, these projects haven’t developed without some strong opposition.
The process takes years. Now, phase one is almost complete, 80 turbines are spinning in Mount Storm, West . . .
Complete story (plus email and print links) »
