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 are the products of the organizations or individuals noted and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch.
Wind energy boondoggle
MidAmerican Energy has plans to take Iowa to 100% renewable energy. Our giant utility companies are running over Iowans to make this happen. Hundreds of people are negatively affected at every installation and hundreds more with every extra wind energy transmission line. Affected Iowans have no real say. Many protested at public meetings, collected petitions, hired attorneys and filed lawsuits but the promise of money won the local governments. Iowans have no power of recall, no referendum. Even the Iowa . . . Complete story »
Attorney prods Farmersville on emails with Alle-Catt Wind Farm developer
FARMERSVILLE – One of the attorneys representing Farmersville residents opposed to the proposed Alle-Catt Wind Farm is challenging Farmersville Town Board members’ refusal to disclose emails from the developer. Gary Abraham, an environmental attorney working with Ginger Schroder, an attorney living in Farmersville, wrote the town last week to say the exemption to the Open Meetings Law the board cited did not apply. Schroder said Saturday the town’s refusal of her Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request on emails between town . . . Complete story »
Wind energy’s big disposal problem
Germany has more than 28,000 wind turbines – but many are old and by 2023 more than a third must be decommissioned. Disposing of them is a huge environmental problem. Expert Jan Tessmer tells DW he’s optimistic. DW: Dr Tessmer, disposing of wind turbines is extremely difficult. Their concrete bases go as deep as 30 meters into the ground, and are hard to fully remove, while the rotor blades contain glass and carbon fibers – they give off dust and toxic gases . . . Complete story »
East End forum on potential offshore wind turbine sites turns tense
A public forum on potential offshore wind farm sites turned tense as East End commercial fishing representatives railed against the renewable energy source and its potential impact on their industry. The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management in April released maps for possible lease sites including two large swathes off eastern Long Island’s southern coast, one south of Great South Bay and one off the coast of New Jersey, all in what’s known as the New York Bight area. The . . . Complete story »
Tories kill controversial Dutton Dunwich wind project
TORONTO – Ontario’s new Progressive Conservative government is cancelling 758 renewable energy contracts, including one for a massive wind farm near London where area residents voted overwhelmingly against wind turbines but had them imposed on them by the former Liberal government. The Tory government says the cancellations are part of its effort to reduce Ontarians electricity bills. Energy Minister Greg Rickford said the move will save provincial ratepayers $790 million – a figure industry officials dispute, saying the cancellations will . . . Complete story »
Duke Energy Carolinas withdraws proposal to purchase wind power
Duke Energy Carolinas has quietly abandoned plans for purchasing up to 500 megawatts worth of wind power capacity for the Carolinas by 2022 after finding the initial bids from producers “not economically attractive.” Eleven months ago, Duke issued a request for proposals on wind power, expected to come from outside of North Carolina. It proposed offering power-purchase agreements of up to 20 years to buy wind power from projects, likely in the Midwest, that could be brought into the state. . . . Complete story »
Ontario cancels wind, solar contracts as Ford moves on energy overhaul
Ontario’s new Progressive Conservative government is cancelling 758 contracts with renewable power developers, as Premier Doug Ford moves quickly to reshape the province’s energy markets and fulfill a promise to reduce electricity rates. In announcing the cancellations, Energy Minister Greg Rickford said Ontario ratepayers would benefit from $780-million in savings. Those savings are over the life of the 20-year contracts or roughly $40-million a year, equal to 0.2 per cent of the $20-billion electricity market. “We clearly promised we would . . . Complete story »
MidAmerican Energy announces new Grundy County wind farm
DES MOINES – MidAmerican Energy Co. Thursday announced construction of a wind farm project to begin this month in west central Grundy County. The Ivester wind farm includes 35 Siemens Gamesa wind turbines. It’s part of MidAmerican Energy’s Wind XI project, which the company announced in 2016. When completed at the end of this year, Ivester will add 90.8 megawatts of wind generation capacity for MidAmerican Energy customers, or enough wind energy to power more than 38,000 average Iowa homes. . . . Complete story »
Montana wind power: Big projects on tap in central Montana
MARTINSDALE – From the top of Gordon Butte, Montana’s sparsely populated upper Musselshell River Valley stretches below, dotted with the occasional irrigation pivot, ranch house or wind turbine. But if the plans of renewable-power developers pan out, the butte and the valley will become major construction sites – a large wind farm, or two, and a $1 billion hydropower project that serves as a “battery” storage to complement intermittent wind power. “As we look to export more and more wind . . . Complete story »
Fairbank wind turbine owners appeal contempt judgment
FAIRBANK – Three wind turbines east of Fairbank have stopped spinning, but a court battle over their future took another turn this week. A group of wind energy companies have asked the Iowa Supreme Court to intervene after they were found in contempt of court for failing to remove the structures built in violation of county zoning laws. The action filed Wednesday by Mason Wind, Dante Wind 6, Galileo Wind 1 and Venus Wind 4 asks the high court to toss . . . Complete story »
