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Wind Power News: January 2010
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.
Wind farms can cause noise problems finds study
The noise caused by wind farms can make some people ill, according to experts. The study by a panel of independent experts found that the irritation caused by the noise around wind farms can effect certain individuals. Scientists dismissed the idea of a “wind turbine syndrome” where the vibrations in the air or the particular sound waves from wind turbines cause headaches, nausea and panic attacks. However, they did concede that the swishing sound caused by wind turbines can “annoy” . . . Complete story »
Windmills a source of green power, conflict
LANAI CITY – A massive wind farm proposed for Lanai has been anticipated as a major potential source of green power for Honolulu, but it remains a controversial project on the Pineapple Isle. Castle & Cooke Resorts has proposed to erect as many as 200 wind turbines on 12,800 acres on the remote northwestern end of the island and lay an undersea cable that would send the power to Oahu. While some support a project that could be a revenue-generator . . . Complete story »
Newly installed wind turbines idled by Minnesota’s winter: Cold weather blamed for failure of windmills to work properly
Last year, about a dozen Minnesota communities dreamed of clean, green energy: spinning windmills powering hundreds of homes. Now, months after the deadline, the windmills stand largely immobile, and communities are still waiting for the power to flow. Eleven cities, including North St. Paul and Anoka, are participating in the wind turbine project, each getting a 115-foot windmill via the Minnesota Municipal Power Association, or MMPA. The turbines were to be fully operational by Nov. 7. To date, the number . . . Complete story »
Land trust to appeal Oakfield wind farm permit
OAKFIELD, Maine – A family trust that owns land near the proposed site of a windmill project in Oakfield will appeal the DEP’s decision to permit the project, the attorney for the trust said Friday afternoon. The Maine Department of Environmental Protection earlier this week approved a permit for the project proposed by First Wind of Massachusetts that would involve up to 34 turbines generating enough energy to power 20,000 or more homes. Evergreen Wind LLC, a subsidiary of First Wind . . . Complete story »
Study says wind farm is too loud
The Willow Creek Energy Center is in violation of state noise standards for at least three nearby homes, its acoustical expert revealed at a planning commission meeting Tuesday night. Still up for debate, according to the other experts in attendance, is how much and how often. The meeting amounted to a day in court for the neighbors of the wind farm – Dan Williams, Mike and Sherry Eaton and Dennis Wade – who began complaining about farm’s noise and other . . . Complete story »
Sickness claims prompt study of wind turbines
Turbines used for wind power generation, pushed as a promising renewable energy source, will come under government scrutiny because of the possible impact on the health of residents. The Environment Ministry will conduct its first field survey of possible health hazards of wind turbines, covering all of more than 1,500 units in operation across the country. The four-year study, to start in April, was planned following complaints from neighborhood residents about noise and environmental problems as well as health issues. . . . Complete story »
Turbine foes seek new regs
The Western Catskill Preservation Alliance is asking the towns of Roxbury and Stamford to increase wind turbine setbacks to a minimum of 1,300 feet in town laws related to wind turbines, WCPA President Ron Karam said in a media release. WCPA attorney Peter Henner has formally requested that the towns revisit the ordinances governing the placement of Industrial Wind Turbines based on setback requirements defined by Vestas, the manufacturer of the V90 turbines being proposed for the Invenergy project. Invenergy . . . Complete story »
Wind farms could blight one in six beauty spots
One in six of the UK’s officially-designated beauty spots could soon be blighted by wind farms, an investigation has found. Out of 89 sites given special protection due to the quality of their landscape, planning permission for turbines has been approved or sought at 14. Affected areas range from Cornwall and the Isle of Wight to the Lake District, the Outer Hebrides and the Shetland Islands. Campaigners claimed that the projects would spoil much-loved views and called for clearer rules . . . Complete story »
Wind farms produced 'practically no electricity' during Britain's cold snap
Wind farms produced “practically no electricity” during the cold snap which manufacturers’ groups say could lead to severe winter energy shortages. The cold weather has been accompanied by high pressure and a lack of wind, which meant that only 0.2pc of a possible 5pc of the UK’s energy was generated by wind turbines over the last few days. Jeremy Nicholson, director of the Energy Intensive Users Group (EIUG), gave warning that this could turn into a crisis when the UK . . . Complete story »
State to construct 400-foot-tall wind turbine on Mass. Pike land in Blandford
A 400-foot-tall wind turbine will be erected later this year on the Massachusetts Turnpike in Blandford, a highly visible advertisement for an energy future in the state that is expected to increasingly feature renewable sources of power. Solaya Renewable Energy, of Woburn, has been selected by the state to install the utility-scale wind turbine on state-owned land adjacent to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s Blandford Service Area, the highest location in the turnpike system. The company is scheduled to break . . . Complete story »
