Wind Power News: April 2007
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.
Bird study doesn't seem objective
The recent study of the behavior of birds in Forward Energy’s proposed wind factor is riddled with inaccuracies, according to Dr. Jack Kaspar, professor emeritus of ornithology at the University of Wisconsin. “Does it seem odd to anyone but me that the April 2005 through March 2006 bird study shows exactly what Forward Energy was looking for – even though it was compiled and analyzed by people who have far less professional experience than those who have written studies that are . . . Complete story »
Outrage over photomontage system adopted for windfarm plans
Scottish Natural Heritage recruited developers to devise a system of photomontage which has since been adopted as part of the decision-making process in windfarm planning applications, it has been revealed. To the horror of politicians and landscape lovers, the trade’s Scottish Renewables forum played a lead role in shaping it and largely funded work on drafting the new guidelines. But SNH failed to advertise its conclusions, failed to put it on the internet and councillors have not been briefed on . . . Complete story »
System fuels the scramble for cash
Last week, The Journal revealed how the Government’s Renewables Obligation system is prompting a scramble for wind farm sites in the North-East. It sets a target – which rises year by year – for what proportion of electricity suppliers must source from renewables. To hit their target, suppliers must buy Renewables Obligation Certificates (ROCs) from generating firms who use renewable technology. One ROC is awarded for every megawatt hour (MWh) of renewable power produced. The generators can sell these ROCs to suppliers . . . Complete story »
Opponents blast council in planning row
A tiny North council which is set to rule on three major wind farm applications has admitted having no planning officers of its own capable of dealing with them, The Journal can reveal. Berwick Borough Council has instead resorted to hiring planning consultants to cope with the mammoth task of handling the bids, which are all due to be decided at the same meeting on May 29. One of the firms is Darlington-based Blackett, Hart and Pratt, which was hired . . . Complete story »
Hayes windfarm hearings begin
Central Otago District Council began considering an application for the country’s largest windfarm on Monday. Meridian Energy wants to build up to 176 wind turbines, covering 92 square kilometres, with a generation capacity of 630 megawatts, on the Lammermoor Range between Alexandra and Dunedin. More than 1000 submissions have been received on Project Hayes, with slightly more than half of them in favour of the project. Meridian Energy sought to prevent the district council holding the hearings by petitioning the . . . Complete story »
Scientists tracking endangered bats
Using a radio transmitter the size of a shelled pea, John Chenger is studying an endangered bat population that hibernates in an abandoned rail tunnel near the Allegheny Tunnel on the state Turnpike. On April 17, he and his associates at Bat Conservation and Management of Carlisle joined with Sanders Environmental Inc. Centre Hall to tag 15 Indiana bats as the came out of hibernation. “We’re trying to figure out where they go,” Chenger explained. “Do they go five miles? . . . Complete story »
Manawatu wind farm proposal challenged
A group of Manawatu residents took their opposition to a proposed wind farm on a reserve near Palmerston North to the High Court at Wellington today. In August 2005 the Palmerston North City Council signed a partnership deal with Mighty River Power to develop a $300m wind farm on the reserve, 10km east of the central city. The original plan said the farm would have at least 40 turbines, generating about 120-150MW electricity, and Mighty River Power would make an . . . Complete story »
Otago wind farm would be biggest
The green light to build the world’s biggest wind farm in Central Otago hinges on consent hearings which got underway on Monday. Meridian Energy wants to erect more than 170 giant turbines many as tall as a 45-storey building in an area opponents say is too beautiful to be spoiled. The Project Hayes wind farm planned for Central Otago’s windswept Lammermore Range would produce enough electricity for more than quarter of a million homes. It would cover up to 92 . . . Complete story »
Cape towns have tough time with turbines
The Cape has plenty of wind, and at least nine of the peninsula’s 15 towns want to take advantage of the natural resource with their own wind turbines. But the wheels of progress are turning slowly. Although the state-financed Massachusetts Technology Collaborative has awarded a total of $711,000 in exploratory funds to those towns since 2002, not a single town has erected a turbine. “Massachusetts – and New England in general – has been a very difficult place to site wind turbines,” . . . Complete story »
Tests to determine wind farm's effect on power grid
The proposed Ellis County wind farm could produce a maximum of 200 megawatts of energy – however, at this point it does not appear that the energy would have an effect on local power bills. “If the power goes outside of Ellis County, there won’t be one bit of change to the electrical bills of people in Ellis County,” said Competitive Power Ventures project manager Krista Gordon. “If Midwest Energy purchases some of the energy, I don’t know if that will . . . Complete story »
