Wind Watch: Industrial Wind Energy News
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch 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.
Tesla Megapack battery caught fire at PG&E substation in California
The fires in the energy storage systems at Moss Landing are reminiscent of incidents involving Tesla Megapacks in Australia. They also underscore the challenges of adopting new technology to improve the efficiency of the power grid, and to make greater use of electricity from intermittent, renewable resources like wind and solar. Complete story »
Rungande nej till vindkraftparker till havs i Söderhamns folkomröstningar
[Resounding no to offshore wind facilities in Söderhamn referendums] Det blev nej till vindkraftsparker till havs i Söderhamn i de båda folkomröstningarna i som hölls på valdagen. Över hälften av de röstande säger nej till vindkraftsparker i Söderhamn. Drygt 35 procent säger ja. Det sammanfattar enkelt resultatet av vindkraftomröstningarna i Söderhamn som redovisades på fredagsförmiddagen. Söderhamnarna har haft två folkomröstningar att ta ställning till: Ska Söderhamns kommun tillåta etablering av vindkraft på Storgrundet och ska Söderhamns kommun tillåta etablering av . . . Complete story »
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 . . . Complete story »
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, . . . Complete story »
Calls for Derrybrien wind farm to be reactivated rejected
A junior Government minister has rejected calls for the 70 turbine wind farm at Derrybrien in south Galway to be reactivated. In a Dáil debate on the issue, Fine Gael Minister for State at the Departmentt of Transport, Hildegarde Naughton, described the ESB wind farm as an “unauthorised development”. Minister Naughton told Deputy 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 . . . Complete story »
15 years ago, a small Aroostook town went first on wind power – and hit turbulence along the way
Neighbors were assured the Mars Hill turbines would be nearly silent so they were surprised by the noise, the low-level vibrations and the periodic shadow-effects. More than a dozen Mars Hill homeowners sued the developer, First Wind, claiming the turbines were hurting their health and property values. The company eventually paid an undisclosed sum, and the homeowners agreed to stay quiet. Complete story »
How a 100-turbine wind farm is about to change Newport County’s oceanfront views
Within five years, Rhode Island’s horizon will be unmistakably altered to any beachgoer, fisherman or waterfront homeowner gazing out to sea, and the coastal Atlantic from Martha’s Vineyard to Long Island will be dotted with wind turbines arranged in orderly grids like trees in an orchard. They will appear small in perspective, and tower in reality over the men and women who go out on boats to service them, the blades rotating to the height of an 80-story building, 873 . . . Complete story »
Tama Co. Board of Adjustment sued over Salt Creek Wind project
TOLEDO – On Aug. 26, Plaintiff Heather Knebel of rural Traer filed a petition for declaratory judgment against the Tama County Board of Adjustment (BOA) in Tama County District Court. Knebel, a member of the Tama County Against Turbines LLC (TCAT) coalition, seeks a declaration from the Court that Conditional Use Permits issued by the BOA to Salt Creek Wind LLC (Salt Creek), including 10 Limited Scope Conditional Use Permits approved Oct. 21, 2020, and 60 Conditional Use Permits (CUPs) approved . . . Complete story »
The hot topic of who started the recent forest fire in Spain’s Granada
The jury is out over who started the devastating forest fire in Los Guajares, near Granada, which burned 5,000 hectares from September 8 to 13, and is said to be the area’s worst wildfire in a century. Meanwhile, the blaze has raised serious issues about wildfire management and the need for a public information campaign. Over its six active days, the fire spread across the mountain flanks above the towns of Guajar-Alto, Albuñuelas and Pinos del Valle, before heading dangerously . . . Complete story »
Hearing on windmill code change for Lewis County postponed to Oct. 4
A public hearing by the Board of Lewis County Commissioners (BOCC) on a proposed code change allowing research on windmills has been postponed from Tuesday, Sept. 20, to Oct. 4. More than 100 people attended a meeting on the code change hosted by Commissioner Lindsey Pollock at the Baw Faw Grange earlier this month. There, she said her seatmates, Commissioners Sean Swope and Lee Grose, were in favor of the change while she was not. Posting the BOCC email addresses . . . Complete story »
