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.
Trio of wind turbines in Providence get go-ahead
PROVIDENCE – Three new wind turbines are set to rise over the city’s waterfront. The turbines are set to go up in 2021 at the southern end of Fields Point, on land owned by the Port of Providence and Johnson & Wales University. When they’re completed, on a date expected to come around next fall, they will join another trio of turbines that were installed just to the north in 2012 at the wastewater treatment plant operated by the Narragansett Bay . . . Complete story »
Bill introduced to implement ‘sensible regulations’ for wind farm developments
The Wind Turbine Regulation Bill 2020 was introduced in the Dáil this afternoon (Tuesday, November 24) with the aim of implementing “sensible regulations” for wind farm developments. This is Sinn Féin TD Brian Stanley’s third attempt since 2014 to introduce such a bill, and he said he is “going to keep trying at it”. The Laois-Offaly TD said the Sinn Féin bill seeks to introduce practical regulations that be implemented to allow wind farms to be constructed, but to be . . . Complete story »
Stewartry protesters crank up the pressure over plans for Mochrum Fell turbines
Campaigners are urging people to object to plans to build 150m tall turbines in the Glenkens. Falck Renewables already has planning permission for eight, 126.5m turbines at Mochrum Fell. And while they are now proposing to drop that number to seven, they also want to make them taller. More than 600 people objected to the original plans, which the council rejected before it was approved by the Scottish Government in 2016. Trevor and Elaine Procter were among those against the . . . Complete story »
Revenue committee weighs hiking Wyoming’s wind energy tax
Wyoming lawmakers charged with finding new revenue sources for the state will draft a last-minute bill to increase the tax on electricity generated from wind turbines in the state. Rep. Timothy Hallinan, R-Gillette, plans to present a bill draft at an upcoming Joint Revenue Committee meeting scheduled for Dec. 17-18, according to comments made Friday. The proposed legislation could double the state’s wind generation tax. As it stands, Wyoming already charges a $1 per megawatt hour electricity tax on wind . . . Complete story »
Company proposes $40 million upgrade to Delaware County wind farm
GREELEY, Iowa – A company that purchased a Delaware County wind farm earlier this year is proposing a major upgrade to it. Greenbacker Renewable Energy Co. now owns Elk Wind Farm in the Greeley area and proposes repowering all 17 wind turbines at a cost of $40 million to $45 million. That plan recently was shared during a county Board of Supervisors meeting. While the supervisors took no action and no formal application was submitted, Justin Fike, a consultant working on . . . Complete story »
First major R.I. offshore wind project faces further delays, with no clear completion date
PROVIDENCE – The 12-year saga of efforts to build a utility-scale offshore wind project off the coast of Rhode Island has been extended again, with no clear end-date in sight. International developer Orsted A/S, which has a national hub in Providence, has pulled back on its previously estimated 2023 completion date for the Revolution Wind project slated for federal waters off the coast of Rhode Island. In an October earnings call, Orsted President and CEO Henrik Poulson said it was . . . Complete story »
Will Biden’s 100% clean energy plan work? Look to TVA
[Outgoing longtime Sen. Lamar] Alexander recently warned TVA not to follow the example set by California, criticizing the Golden State for adding renewables and backing away from nuclear.... "The combination of that nuclear power, hydropower and natural gas in Tennessee has given us one of the cleanest areas," he said recently on the Senate floor. "So we need a realistic energy policy, not a fanciful one." Alexander used the opportunity there and again in a video message to TVA's board to take aim at California — a popular whipping post for Republican elected officials in the South who work on energy issues — arguing that the state's electricity rates are high because of its clean energy policies. "They are in for an unpleasant future," he said. Complete story »
Not so smart
The real purpose of smart meters is to manage unreliable electricity from wind turbines, by means of differential pricing according to supply available at the time of demand, or perhaps even to ration by disconnection if insufficient for all, so that rather than the grid responding to need, as now, people will have to organise their lives – on a day-to-day basis – according to power available. In fact, electricity may not even meet basic needs from time to time. . . . Complete story »
Vindkraftverk kollapsade: “Extremt ovanligt”
Ett 230 meter högt vindkraftverk kollapsade natten mot söndag i Jörn utanför Skellefteå. Företaget bakom kraftverket kommer utreda olyckan och Anders Riis, kommunikationschef på Vestas som byggt kraftverket, säger att man nu stoppar alla kraftverk i parken som en säkerhetsåtgärd. – Som en extraordinär säkerhetsåtgärd så pausar vi uppstarten av de andra 16 vindkraftverken också. Nu ska vi inspektera alla individuellt. När vi har en bra översikt över statusen på varje turbin så ska vi överväga om det är säkert . . . Complete story »
Energy giant aims to bring windfarm plan to reality at former Cockenzie Power Station site
A new bid to bring offshore energy onto the National Grid using the former Cockenzie Power Station site has been launched as the battle for the prime coastal land hots up. Seagreen Wind Energy has lodged a Pre Application Notice with East Lothian Council over plans to bring wind farm power onto land at Cockenzie. The latest proposal, however, has already raised alarm bells for some in the neighbouring Prestonpans community as the boundary for the project appears to cross . . . Complete story »
