Wind Power News: Opinions
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.
An ill wind is blowing turbine issue in our state
People who treasure the Berkshire landscape should now be alarmed that the state owns so much of it.
The governor has declared a goal of 2,000 megawatts (MW) of wind power in Massachusetts by the year 2020, and his staff has commissioned a study showing that over half could be located in the Berkshires.
The study calculates that 559 industrial wind turbines could be built on the state’s 120,000 acres here. Those turbines would be 1.5 MW each and about 400 feet . . .
We're off to see … the wonderful scam
An amazed Dorothy looked at the big, gleaming, gold, onion-shaped cupolas atop the Holy Ascension Orthodox Church. ”Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas any more,” she said. ”We must be over the rainbow!”
Then Dorothy looked past the cupolas, to where huge and ungodly structures dominated the horizon. ”Never mind, Toto,” she said. ”We’re still in Kansas after all.”
Actually, they were not in Kansas, and they certainly were not in the Land of Oz. They were in the Schuylkill . . .
Prevailing against anti-wind sentiment
Turning anti-wind sentiment into permits requires organization, strategy and plain ol’ grassroots politics.
By Ben Kelahan, North American Windpower, July 2009
Community relations may be the road to reputation, but understanding practical local politics paves the way to permits. Opposition groups are sophisticated, organized and well funded. They have borrowed the highest-priced tactics from corporate public relations and masterfully use the Web to circulate misinformation about the impacts of wind farms.
Understanding how the opposition plans to stop your wind farm may be . . .
NYS’ two billion dollar energy swindle
NYS taxpayers and ratepayers are funding what is likely a $2 Billion fraud.
I was one of a number of citizens representing 33+ NYS grassroots groups who attended the June 16, 2009, NYSERDA Environmental Stakeholder’s Meeting on Wind Power in Albany. (See Meeting Summary: tinyurl.com/mxa5zf for a more detailed report.)
The reasons for this unique meeting were: 1.) to answer citizens’ questions on industrial wind power that we have been asking NYSERDA for years now (See: Citizens’ Questions: tinyurl.com/kkkuqz for these, and . . .
Open letter re: wind park
Over two years ago, Municipal Councilor,Linda Gregory and Warden Jim Thurber indicated a desire to meet with the people in the Rossway Hall.She and Warden Jim Thurber were primarily concerned with building and restoring community in what was not unlike a war torn country- having been put through the indignity of battle at the hands of mercenary forces bent on hauling away pieces of the mountain for fifty years from the Little River area, and draining the Gullivers Cove aquifer . . .
Power line debate pits green against green
The Western Area Power Administration and the Transmission Agency of Northern California have teamed up to build a new high-voltage transmission line. There are two primary reasons for this. The first is that they currently have only one transmission line from the Pacific Northwest to serve their customers. As a matter of reliability, a second line is needed.
The second reason is to meet California renewable energy standards. Renewable energy comes in several forms. Wind, geothermal, solar, hydroelectric, ocean waves and . . .
A pipedream of six turbines a day until 2020
Lord Hunt has made one of the most absurd claims that can ever have been uttered by a British minister, writes Christopher Booker.
Last Wednesday, two days before our Climate Change Secretary, Ed Miliband, told us that motorists could help save the planet by changing more quickly to a lower gear, his underling Lord Hunt made one of the most absurd claims that can ever have been uttered by a British minister. Solemnly reported by the media, he said . . .
Committee 'misled' on wind farm report
Once again Moray Council has sold off a large chunk of our heritage to foreign developers. I refer to the planning committee’s decision not to object to the Olsen Renewables application to virtually double the size of the Rothes wind farm south of Elgin.
To be fair to the committee, they were completely misled by a pathetic report from the planners, who left out important information. One example was the fact that this application conflicts with our Local Plan, and none . . .
Tilting at green windmills
The Spanish professor is puzzled. Why, Gabriel Calzada wonders, is the U.S. president recommending that America emulate the Spanish model for creating “green jobs” in “alternative energy” even though Spain’s unemployment rate is 18.1 percent — more than double the European Union average — partly because of spending on such jobs?
Calzada, 36, an economics professor at Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, has produced a report that, if true, is inconvenient for the Obama administration’s green agenda, and for some . . .
Beware the wind industry, blustering across the Berkshires
There are moments when I am so outraged I don’t know what to say first. That happened when I read that Don McCauley, head of Minuteman Wind, was shopping his Savoy wind project to the towns of Wellesley and Concord in eastern Massachusetts. He wants them to invest in the five-turbine facility planned for West Hill.
Those are two of the state’s richest towns. The average new house in Wellesley — Don McCauley’s home town — is 4,600 square feet. Median . . .
