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Wind Power News: Opinions
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch in its noncommercial educational effort to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch. They are the products of and owned by the organizations or individuals noted and are shared here according to “fair use” and “fair dealing” provisions of copyright law.
Paradise saved: Ark Energy withdraws project
Victory can be declared in the battle to save Chalumbin Forest. Ark Energy, a subsidiary of Korean Zinc, was just a ministerial tick away from ripping into hundreds of acres of tropical forest in the Atherton Tablelands in Far North Queensland. Late yesterday, the company withdrew its application for the renamed Wooroora Station Wind Farm after receiving information from the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water that the proposal would not be approved. The war against the . . . Complete story »
Offshore wind farms are detrimental to whales
Since 2016, more than 200 humpback whales have died and been stranded on beaches along the East Coast, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric (NOAA). In fact, NOAA is so concerned about the sheer number of dead humpback whales in this region that it has labeled the situation an “unusual mortality event.” Likewise, NOAA has declared an “unusual mortality event” regarding the mysterious mass deaths of the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale along the East Coast. As NOAA . . . Complete story »
Measuring the sound of silence
In an area where the tallest structures are grain elevators, industrial wind turbines are more than simply a disturbance to the rural skyline. They are transformative. Modern turbines are 600 to 650 feet tall. They change a rural landscape into an urban one. As one neighbor put it, “If I wanted to look at tall buildings and blinking lights I’d move to the city.” Modern wind turbines are taller than the Space Needle, twice the height of downtown Spokane’s Bank . . . Complete story »
Mannar wind farm project: another folly like Sinharaja logging project on the horizon?
Background A wind farm consisting of 30 towers generating 100MW (Phase 1 – Thambapawani) was established on the southern coast of Mannar Island in 2020, with financial assistance from the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The widespread criticism of this project due to its positioning within one of the main bird migratory corridors in the Asian region (detailed elsewhere in the article) was largely overlooked or ignored due to the economic priorities that prevailed at the time, as it happened with . . . Complete story »
Can ‘clean energy’ schemes get any crazier?
The US Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management recently designated two Wind Energy Areas in deepwater areas off the Oregon coast. BOEM is also reviewing offshore wind energy development options for the Gulf of Maine, Central Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and maybe Great Lakes. They’re part of Team Biden’s plan to deploy 30,000 megawatts of offshore wind energy capacity by 2030 and 15,000 MW of floating offshore wind energy capacity by 2035. Capacity is what the turbines could generate, when . . . Complete story »
Expansion of alternative energy senseless
In 2004, Pennsylvania implemented one of the most aggressive mandates to adopt wind and solar energy. At the time, less than 1 percent of net energy generation came from these sources. In 2023, after nearly $1.5 billion in subsidies, wind and solar generated less than 2 percent. So, what’s the point? That’s the question Gov. Josh Shapiro must answer before any expansion to Pennsylvania’s Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards (AEPS). Instead, he is doubling down on uneconomical fuels and technologies, resulting . . . Complete story »
Offshore wind threatens centuries of fishing, creates more problems than it solves
The New England electric grid – ISO New England – has a website that includes a display featuring two pie charts that show where our electricity is coming from, updated in real time. Right now, “renewables” are at 7% of our total energy mix. Wind is 28% of that 7%, solar is 10% of that 7%, and the rest of the renewables come from burning wood, trash, and methane from dumps. Hydro isn’t listed as renewable, natural gas and nuclear . . . Complete story »
Nei til vindmølleparker
Nedbygging av norsk natur går nå i rekord-fart. Norske distriktskommuner skriker etter flere arbeidsplasser og samtidig gir dårlig kommuneøkonomi i distriktskommunene motivasjon til å godta at naturen og tradisjonelle næringer må gi plass for ny industri. Vi har spesielt sett det i mange år i havbruksnæringen, den gir sårt tiltrengte arbeidsplasser i distriktene og gir penger direkte i kommunekassen gjennom havbruksfondet. Dette gjør at mange kommuner føler de er nødt til å gi plass for denne industrien og tillater en . . . Complete story »
The American revolt against green energy has begun
There’s no such thing as a wind or solar ‘farm’, just an ugly industrial site. In a story filled with all the standard climate alarmist narratives, USA Today recently reported on the rising movement by local governments in the United States to refuse to permit unwanted wind and solar industrial sites in their jurisdictions. After setting the stage by parroting the Biden administration goals of “100 per cent clean energy by 2035, a goal that depends on the building of . . . Complete story »
Ocean City’s firm stand against US Wind’s Offer: Integrity over price
In the serene setting of Ocean City, a storm brews not from the natural forces of the Atlantic but from a proposal that has sparked a wave of controversy along its shores. US Wind, a company with ambitious plans to erect 940 wind turbines off the coast, has extended an olive branch wrapped in dollar bills to nearby communities, including Ocean City itself. Yet, in an era where silence can be bought, one voice resounds with unwavering clarity: the future . . . Complete story »