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Wind Power News: January 2009
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.
It’s blowin' in the wind
It sounds, if not perfect, then pretty darn close. The answer, or at least an answer, to our energy troubles is blowin’ in the wind. But is it really as simple as putting up turbines and connecting them to the grid? “Wind energy has a certain mystique to it. But yes, there is real potential that poorly thought-out legislation developed in a rush to stimulate the economy or respond to climate-change problems will essentially create a sort of gold rush, . . . Complete story »
The Attica Reservoir, wind turbines and drinking water
The clear waters of Crow Creek flow into and out of the Attica reservoir creating drinking water for the Attica area, including the Attica Correctional Facility. This important reservoir is principally located in the town of Attica. However, the southern portion of this pristine body of water extends into the town of Orangeville (Nesbitt, Buffalo, Krotz roads) which receives tax payments from the village of Attica on that portion of the reservoir. Currently, some Orangeville property owners, whose land is . . . Complete story »
Whittlesey: A faulty sensor led to turbine ice shower
A faulty sensor on a giant wind turbine is being blamed for huge shards of ice flying off its blades and crashing into nearby homes and gardens. As The Evening Telegraph reported in November, residents in King’s Dyke, Whittlesey, had to take cover for more than four hours when huge lumps of ice, some measuring 2ft, were flung from the giant machine’s blades. Freezing overnight temperatures had caused the ice to form and after frantic calls to its owner, Truro-based . . . Complete story »
Wind chill: Rural residents worry about impact of lightly regulated industry
BERNAL, N.M. – Petite, gray-haired Sally Maestas remembers a time when this tiny rural village 50 miles east of Santa Fe along Interstate 25 didn’t have electricity. “We used kerosene lanterns when I was growing up,” said Maestas, 79. She witnessed the coming of electric lines powered by coal. Now, on the mesa overlooking Bernal, a Chicago-based company wants to put up dozens of wind turbines, each more than 30 stories high from base to blade tip. The power will be . . . Complete story »
Fueling controversy: As researchers debate wind turbine impact, residents want more study
Wind power offers the potential of clean, inexhaustible, if intermittent, energy. But where to site wind turbines in relation to homes and communities is a major and growing point of controversy around the world and in the U.S. Here’s why. Noise Existing wind-energy facilities in New Mexico lie several miles from the closest communities. But wind turbines proposed for Taos Valley and San Miguel County could be sited much closer to existing homes and villages, from one to one-fourth a . . . Complete story »
Wording of Orangeville wind turbine survey was biased
The old adage, “figures never lie, but liars figure,” is a most appropriate axiom when applied to the Orangeville wind turbine survey (mailed Aug. 19, 2008). The first of five survey questions is worded to elicit a desired response from Orangeville residents. It reads; “Would you be in favor of a wind turbine energy project in the Town of Orangeville if it reduced your town property taxes for at least 20 years or more?” This conditional question is both hypothetical . . . Complete story »
Towering turbines draw ire
The idea of using wind to generate electricity seems to be gaining popularity, except with people who might have to live near 30-story-tall turbines. The potential impacts of placing such tall wind turbines near communities was among topics at a meeting Tuesday in Santa Fe hosted by two community groups concerned about large-scale, wind-energy farms proposed in New Mexico. More than 50 people – among them rural residents, clean energy advocates and state officials – packed a room at the State Library. . . . Complete story »