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.
State Tax Commission deals blow on wind turbine tax cash
After years of litigation and appeals the State Tax Commission has ruled in favor of utilities regarding how wind turbines should be taxed. The decision, the first of many likely to follow, could cost local units of governments with wind farms millions of dollars in past and future revenues. Although the 158-page STC ruling was a case involving DTE and two Huron County townships, it could adversely impact a number of other counties, including Gratiot and Isabella. To cut legal . . . Complete story »
Wind turbine catches fires in Willacy County
A wind turbine caught fire in Lyford on Monday. The Willacy County Sheriff’s Office said the turbine is located on the area of Simo road and Zinnia. Officials say local fire departments are on scene. Authorities are asking the public to avoid the area. No other information has been released. Check back for updates. Complete story »
Will offshore wind hurt the Morro Bay fishing industry? ‘We’re basically screwed’
Bill Blue has been commercially fishing Dungeness crab and black cod near the shores of Morro Bay for 47 years. It’s a business that he got into when he was 19 years old. “That’s all I know. That’s what I do,” he said. Blue’s business has survived in an industry that has faced growing regulations and shrinking territory during the nearly five decades he’s operated off the Central Coast. Now, proposals to develop a massive floating offshore wind farm in . . . Complete story »
French senators give mayors right to veto wind turbine projects
Senators adopted an amendment Friday (18 June) giving municipalities the right to veto a wind turbine project as part of the currently debated Climate and Resilience Law. EURACTIV France reports. Following a stormy debate, senators voted in favour of mayors obtaining the right to veto wind farm projects with the aim of promoting “social acceptability of wind farms, with a view to ensuring harmonious development, i.e. more in tune with the territories and their inhabitants”. According to conservative Les Républicains . . . Complete story »
Tempting ploy for more wind turbines
Fiona Ainslie asks why no compensation is available to wind farm neighbours who are directly affected by a development. (letters 19 June). The difference (in terms of compensation rights) between people living near a proposed high speed rail link or motorway and those near windfarms comes down to whether the developments are classified as “public works” and whether compulsory purchase order powers apply. The Scottish government has no powers under energy regulation to direct developers to pay compensation. Having just . . . Complete story »
Equinor releases video simulation of wind farm from Jones Beach
The first visual simulation of what an offshore wind farm will look like from Jones Beach has been released by project developer Equinor, showing the turbines clearly visible at 15 miles from shore. The simulation, released as part of the company’s recently submitted construction-and-operation plan for the massive project known as Empire Wind, is available on the federal government’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management website here. Equinor has two contracts with New York State to provide over 2,000 megawatts of . . . Complete story »
Bird law complicates Biden’s offshore wind push
President Biden’s plan to dramatically expand offshore wind power within a decade could come at a hefty price: the accidental killing of many migratory birds. Biden has promised to advance 16 offshore wind farms along the northeast Atlantic by 2025 as part of his climate and clean energy jobs plan. The projects represent thousands of turbines constructed over the next decade, with some rising as much as 800 feet in the air off the coast of New York, Massachusetts and . . . Complete story »
Why Shasta County planners recommend approving big Fountain Wind farm
The Shasta County Planning Department recommends approval of a controversial wind farm project proposed for 4,464 acres of timberland property just west of Burney. The massive Fountain Wind project comes before the Shasta County Planning Commission on Tuesday. The public hearing starts at 1 p.m. at the Shasta College theater. ConnectGen LLC plans to lease property to construct up to 71 wind turbines with a capacity to generate up to 216 megawatts of electricity, according to the county planning department. . . . Complete story »
Westerlo reviews solar, wind, and battery bills
WESTERLO – With its long-awaited comprehensive plan more or less finished, Westerlo is working to pass three renewable energy laws that would further regulate wind and solar facilities in town, as well as the batteries that store energy generated by those facilities. The town currently has a moratorium on wind and solar development that’s scheduled to expire in August, creating some degree of urgency around the passage of these bills. Consequently, the town board proposed the laws and held an in-person . . . Complete story »
Wind farm hearing postponed until August 24
A planned public hearing on a proposed 74-turbine wind farm south of Bowman and Rhame has been postponed until August. The Public Service Commission had been scheduled for June 24 at the Bowman Lodge and Convention Center. The new date is August 24. The subject of the hearing is a proposed Apex Clean Energy project called Bowman Wind which covers more than 44,000 acres south of the two rural communities. The Virginia-based firm has announced that the proposed wind farm . . . Complete story »
