Wind Power News: 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 and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch.
Eight companies bid to develop offshore wind in Virginia
Eight companies are vying for the right to develop wind farms off the Virginia coast. Two of the candidates are from Virginia: Dominion Resources, the state’s largest electric utility, based in Richmond; and Apex Virginia Offshore Wind LLC, based in Charlottesville. There are two with roots in Spain and a couple with experience in building and managing wind farms on land in Western states and elsewhere in the United States. There are no operating wind turbines in U.S. waters today. . . .
Floyd Co. Supervisors appoint task force to study wind farm pros and cons
Floyd County Supervisors Tuesday night appointed nine county residents to a task force to study the wind generator issue and report pros and cons of allowing commercial turbine farms on the county’s ridgelines. Appointed to the task force are eight men and one woman. They are, by district.: Michael Turman, Gary Ytoma: Burks Fork; Tony Marisco, Elizabeth Aldridge: Locust Grove; Jerry Boothe, Dave Dixon: Courthouse; Jeff Walker, Bob Bonsignore: Little River; Doug Phillips: Indian Valley. One more appointment from Indian . . .
State approves offshore wind turbine; Chesapeake Bay prototype might become the first in U.S. waters
Virginia regulators on Tuesday approved what could be the first offshore wind turbine built in the United States. The prototype turbine would stand 479 feet tall and be located in the lower Chesapeake Bay, about three miles from Cape Charles on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. It would generate five megawatts of electricity, enough for about 1,250 households. Pending approval of the U.S. Coast Guardand Army Corps of Engineers, construction could be finished by late 2013, according to a statement from Gov. . . .
Virginia approves first offshore wind-energy turbine
The state’s first offshore wind-energy turbine was approved Tuesday and, if built on schedule, it could be the first one up and running in the United States. The pilot project will be a single giant stalk, expected to stand 479 feet tall, pounded into the sandy depths of the Chesapeake Bay about three miles off Cape Charles on the Eastern Shore. The test turbine, underwritten by Gamesa Energy USA in cooperation with Huntington Ingalls Newport News Shipbuilding, is a prototype . . .
Dominion seeking offshore leasing for wind energy
Dominion Virginia Power is interested in leasing 113,000 acres off the Virginia coast to develop wind energy. The site, about 24 miles off the coast, could generate 1,500 to 2,000 megawatts of electricity from offshore wind turbines — or enough energy to power 500,000 homes. The state’s largest electric utility filed paperwork Monday with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management formally expressing its interest in offshore wind generation in what could be a powerful message for a slowly emerging domestic . . .
Virginia’s Dominion expresses interest in wind energy
Dominion Virginia Power is telling the federal government that it’s interested in leasing areas off the coast of Virginia to develop wind energy. The state’s largest electric provider filed comments Monday with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management formally expressing its interest in offshore wind generation in what could be a powerful message for a slowly emerging domestic source of clean energy. Richmond-based Dominion expressed its interest in the entire 113,000 acres the government is making available about 24 miles . . .
Wind energy firm seeks lease of Augusta County regional landfill
Shenandoah Valley’s powerful winds can be a nuisance at picnic grounds and farmers’ markets, but it might soon become an asset for the region too. Apex LLC, a Charlottesville-based wind energy company, is asking for approval to place 20 to 30 wind turbines on and around the Augusta County Regional Landfill. It would be a lease option. “We’re quite interested in supporting the wind industry here in the state,” said Tyson Utt, director of development for the Mid-Atlantic Region. He . . .
Apex considering Augusta Regional Landfill for wind project
A massive burial ground for trash in Augusta County could get a second job as a green-energy site. Apex Wind Energy of Charlottesville is eyeing the Augusta Regional Landfill for a possible wind-energy farm. Such a project could bring a new source of renewable power, and revenue for local governments. Apex has already worked on land-based and off-shore wind projects in 21 states. The company has just begun a feasibility study, for installing turbines at the 220-acre landfill that serves . . .
Add offshore wind platforms, says study done for Dominion Virginia Power
A report done for Dominion Virginia Power to evaluate offshore transmission options for future wind energy projects recommends building offshore substations. But it would cost a pretty penny: $652 million per platform, according to a study by ABB Power Systems Consulting. A platform with two, 230,000-volt power lines could transmit to shore every 500 to 700 megawatts of wind-generated electricity constructed off the coast of Virginia, ABB says in its report. It builds on recommendations from an earlier Dominion study . . .
The facts about wind turbines
We read with interest Billy Weitzenfeld’s essay regarding wind farm development in Floyd County (“First, gather facts on wind farms,” Feb. 26). We agree with the need for an informed citizenry wherever wind farms are proposed but particularly in our mountainous areas. Wind energy can and does displace fossil fuel energy, and has value. The intermittent nature of wind energy, however, restricts the ability of the wind turbines to fully meet customer needs for reliable service. Ridge-top installations required to . . .
