Selected Wind Energy News
Two Falmouth wind turbines sparked a lawsuit; now they’re being demolished
Two land-based wind turbines that drew heavy criticism from their Falmouth neighbors are scheduled to be demolished this week and next. The town-owned turbines, Wind 1 and Wind 2, were installed about a decade ago at the Falmouth wastewater treatment facility. Abutting neighbor Barry Funfar, a Vietnam combat veteran who has post-traumatic stress disorder, said the noise and pulsing-air sensation from the turbines prevented him from being in his garden. “Once these turbines were in, it’s like – it was just . . .
Norway threatens to shut down wind farm after wind destroys turbines
The Norwegian government has threatened to shutter a large wind farm in the northern part of the country after reports of wind storms destroying turbines, sending parts flying. Norwegian Water and Energy Directorate (NVE), the agency that oversees the nation’s water and energy resources, penned a letter this week to the operator of Ånstadblåheia Vindpark in Sortland, Norway, expressing concern about falling debris at the site and the broader technical integrity of the plant. The agency said it would consider . . .
Navajo County residents protest plans for giant wind farm
Want to build a 200-megawatt solar energy power plant? No problem. How about a 500-megawatt wind farm? Buckle your seat belt. The Navajo County Board of Supervisors this week approved two giant alternative energy installations near Holbrook. The 2,000-acre sea of solar panels slid right on through. The 52,000-acre wind farm blew up a storm of opposition. Both won unanimous approval – but not before people living in the wide-open, high-desert spaces around the proposed wind farm voiced a long list . . .
The struggle over towering wind farms is at the center of a Honolulu City Council debate
A backlash has arisen against industrial wind turbines, with Kahuku residents leading the charge, raising an alarm about the problems the 40-story towers constructed there have created for them and for their children – pulsating noises, flickering shadows, and what they say are sleep disruptions, depression and new neurological ailments. In 2015, the Legislature mandated the state would eliminate fossil fuels by 2045 and turn to renewable energy sources like solar and wind. At first Hawaii residents eagerly embraced wind turbines, . . .
‘I couldn’t get a TV signal’: The hidden downside of wind turbines in Japan’s Akita Pref.
AKITA – Wind power generation is being introduced across Japan both onshore and offshore as a pillar in the shift to renewable energy as a leading source of power. But the size of the wind turbines, which can tower as high as some tall buildings, and the rotation of their huge blades can apparently cause disruptions when they stand in the way of communication waves essential in people’s lives today. The city of Katagami in Akita Prefecture, which faces the Sea . . .
Derrybrien windfarm won’t be reopened – minister
A junior minister has rejected calls for the 70 turbine windfarm at Derrybrien in south Galway to become operational once more. In a Dáil debate on the issue, Minister for State at the Department of Transport, Hildegarde Naughton, has described the ESB wind-farm as ‘unauthorised development’. Minister Naughton told Independent TD Michael McNamara that “any attempt to keep the wind farm operational would, therefore, be unlawful”. “There is no legal basis for Derrybrien’s continued operation,” she said. In February of . . .
Atlantic Wind walks away from watershed plans
The developer that proposed wind turbines on Bethlehem Authority land in Penn Forest Township is reportedly leaving the project after more than six years. The authority says that Atlantic Wind LLC is no longer interested in building wind turbines on the authority’s 12,500-acre watershed property in Penn Forest Township. According to Stephen Repasch, director of the Bethlehem Authority, Atlantic Wind’s decision was because it has other projects in development. “This one was not at the top of their priority list. . . .
Appeals court rules against NextEra Energy in a lawsuit against Reno County over wind farm
The state’s appellate court has upheld a finding that petitions by opponents of a large commercial wind farm in the southeast quadrant of Reno County were legally sufficient to force a unanimous County Commission vote on a permit for the proposed development. The ruling against Pretty Prairie Wind LLC, a subsidiary that NextEra Energy created to develop the project, came more than two years after the Florida-based multinational corporation appealed a ruling by now-retired Reno County District Judge Tim Chambers. . . .
Marion Co. Commissioners approve solar, wind restrictions in 4 more townships
The list of townships in Marion County that are restricting the development of solar and wind energy projects is growing. During their Aug. 18 meeting, the Marion County Commissioners voted to approve resolutions submitted by trustees from Big Island, Claridon, Richland, and Salt Rock townships that will limit such development. All four resolutions followed the same format with the same language. The commissioners voted to approve a similar resolution put forth by the Pleasant Township Trustees at the conclusion of . . .
Oregon wind farm sees blades, bolts fly off as failures mount: report
A new report has revealed the unreliability of a major Oregon wind farm, discovered after a blade from a windmill detached and flew across the field. According to The Oregonian, in January, a delivery driver found some broken, industrial-size bolts on the ground near one of Portland General Electric’s towering wind turbines but did not know who to tell and used it as a paperweight. On Feb 1 at 2:11 am, one of the turbine’s 11-story tall blades flew the . . .
