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Wind Power News: July 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.
Town of Castile passes law banning industrial wind turbines
Residents filled the Town of Castile Fire Hall Thursday evening, July 26, awaiting the Town Board’s decision regarding Wind Energy Conversion Systems (WECS). At the last regularly scheduled town board meeting, the Castile Planning Board submitted a very comprehensive 19-page law, which in effect, would prohibit industrial-sized wind turbines, while allowing personal home and farm models to 125′ in height. The Town Board held a special meeting on July 19 to extend the moratorium for another 6 months until the . . . Complete story »
City hoping to begin its own wind power operation
FITCHBURG— Shaving $55,000 from the city’s Water Department costs while reducing greenhouse gases is an exciting prospect for city officials. That’s why they hope to receive a Community Wind Collaborative grant to begin the process of harnessing wind power for the filtration plant. The plant, near the Lovell Reservoir at 1200 Rindge Road, uses more than 100,000 kilowatt hours of energy per year. The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, a quasi-public agency that is working with several municipalities on renewable energy projects, . . . Complete story »
Benjamin dissents in Grant County wind farm case
A challenged $300 million wind farm proposed for a site in Grant County is a public utility immune from any lawsuit seeking to stop its construction, state Supreme Court Justice Brent Benjamin said. Benjamin disagreed with a majority opinion filed by the court to allow a lawsuit filed by a group of homeowners to proceed. The wind farm is to include 200 turbines spread over 10 miles. The Supreme Court’s 4-1 decision overruled a Grant Circuit Court judge’s dismissal of . . . Complete story »
Marble River to resume PILOT process
The towns of Clinton and Ellenburg have accepted a supplemental environmental impact statement from Marble River Wind Farm showing more than 200 changes in plan. “Some minor, some substantive,” said Project Manager Charles Turlinski. It’s the details, he said, “that make the difference between chaos and order, a project that fits into a community or doesn’t fit.” ROADS MOVED Most alterations to the 19,000-acre project “” a joint venture of Horizon Wind Energy and AES-Acciona Energy NY, LLC. “” are . . . Complete story »
Fairhaven selectmen OK lease for wind turbines
Selectmen on Monday night voted to sign a 25-year lease with a private developer to install two 396-foot wind turbines on Little Bay. A final signature on the 22-page lease agreement is contingent on a formal site plan for the project to be submitted by developer CCI Energy. “It’s time to move this lease forward,” said Selectman Michael Silvia. “It’s time to follow the Town Meeting’s wishes.” Selectmen voted on the issue after meeting for about 20 minutes in executive . . . Complete story »
Wind farm gets go-ahead
Longtime Greensburg resident and community leader Bob Mosier announced late Tuesday afternoon he’d just received word from Tom Fieler of Clipper Wind, Inc. that agreement has been reached between his firm and Westar Energy of Topeka to build a 105 megawatt electricity-generating wind farm on the same site south of Mullinville previously considered by KCP&L for a similar facility in 2005. That contract was eventually awarded to a site surrounding the town of Spearville. A total of 42 wind-generating towers, . . . Complete story »
Energy answer blowing in the wind?
Four years ago, while a proposal to build several wind turbines in Fitchburg drew heaps of attention, Hunter Gelinas quietly explored erecting one of his own, one town over in Ashburnham. Gelinas, an area developer, wanted the turbine to provide electricity for the industrial park he planned there. But the project wasn’t realized as Gelinas’ option to buy the property expired before he had received approval to erect a test tower for the site. And while he went around pitching . . . Complete story »
Council backs Leonard's Hill wind farm approval
Hepburn council is welcoming the approval of a two-turbine wind farm at Leonard’s Hill, south of Daylesford in central Victoria. The council itself approved the plan earlier this year, but the decision was appealed against in the Victorian Civil and Administrative Appeals Tribunal. Shire chief executive Victor Swzed says the extra conditions placed on the project are reasonable and will not stop it proceeding. “They have had some additional conditions to what council had placed on the permit, they particularly . . . Complete story »
Utility plans more turbines
For the second time in less than a month, Rocky Mountain Power has announced a new wind farm in Wyoming. The Seven Mile Hill wind energy project in eastern Carbon County will consist of 66 wind turbines with a total generating capacity of 99 megawatts of electricity. Rocky Mountain Power will hold a public open house at 7 p.m. today at The Depot in Rawlins to discuss the project. “This facility is part of a comprehensive strategy to achieve a . . . Complete story »
Grants kick-start resort's energy project
Brian Fairbank had a big goal: Build a 37-story windmill on his ski resort to help cut its huge electric bill. But pulling it off was no easy run down the bunny slope. Mr. Fairbank ultimately pieced together a complex deal that included $597,000 in grants, renewable-energy credits valued at as much as $1.4 million over 10 years and a $3.3 million bank loan. “If I’d known what I know now, I would have never had done it,” says Mr. . . . Complete story »
