| Wind Watch is a registered educational charity, founded in 2005. |
Wind Power News: February 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.
Lowell wind hearings end, ruling due in May
Three weeks of hearings about the Lowell wind project ended Thursday in Montpelier, a day earlier than scheduled. In March, the Vermont Public Service Board, the state’s utility regulator, will collect final briefs from all the parties involved and is expected to announce its decision in May. Green Mountain Power, with its partners Vermont Electric Cooperative and the transmission company VELCO, has asked for a certificate of public good to erect 20 to 21 industrial turbines on the Lowell ridge . . . Complete story »
For the sake of green or greed
In 2009, the U.S. Department of Treasury awarded $546 million to Iberdrola from the stimulus program. Per the CEO of Iberdrola, the offshore parent company of Horizon and the developer of Antelope Ridge, they expect to receive another $470 million in 2010. Horizon’s Elkhorn Wind Farm in 2007 and 2008 received $11 million each year in tax credits from the state of Oregon. In addition, Union County gave Horizon a property tax deduction of $331,680 each year for 2008 and . . . Complete story »
Steens Mountain wind turbines are wake-up call to Oregonians
News that multiple wind farms are planned on the north flank of Steens Mountain should be a wake-up call to Oregonians. Flocks of wind turbines on such an iconic landmark are more than a cloud on the horizon. They’re an approaching storm. We couldn’t believe more strongly in the need to expand renewable power, including wind energy. We are proud of Oregon’s leadership in green technology. We also understand that new energy facilities will leave an unavoidable footprint wherever they’re . . . Complete story »
Isn't it interesting
After attending the scoping meeting for the wind turbine project proposed for Bear River Ridge, it is my contention that the rush to widen Highway 101 through Richardson Grove is to facilitate Shell Oil’s wind turbine project. They stated that huge trucks will haul all the needed equipment up Monument Road to Bear River Ridge out of Rio Dell. So how to get the trucks, cranes, turbine parts and tons of other materials, such as concrete, to Rio Dell? If . . . Complete story »
Claims of wind farm illness: Waubra Disease
Victoria’s largest wind farm operation is attracting attention as the residents of Waubra, north-west of Ballarat, claim the turbines are causing health problems. JOSEPHINE CAFAGNA, PRESENTER: It’s the biggest wind farm operating in Victoria and it’s putting the tiny town of Waubra on the map in ways the locals never predicted. It’s been dubbed the ‘Waubra Disease’, the health effects of living surrounded by wind turbines and it’s now becoming known around the world. As the State Government approves more . . . Complete story »
Windfarm threat to Callanish Sleeping Beauty
Cheryl Straffon writes: You probably know of the ‘Sleeping Beauty’ or Sleeping Mother’ or ‘Sleeping Goddess’ mountain, as it is variously called, on the island of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides off the west coast of Scotland. This amazing mountain (called in Gaelic ‘na Mointeach = the Old Woman of the Moors) forms the profile of a sleeping woman when viewed from the Callanish stone circle. At the major southern standstill of the moon (every 18.6 years – next one . . . Complete story »
Ice halts northern New Brunswick wind farm
Northern New Brunswick’s cold, icy weather is causing wind turbines to freeze and stop producing power at the Caribou Wind Park near Bathurst. The new wind farm’s 33 turbines have been generating power since November, but they have been forced to shut down for the past two days due to ice forming on some of the blades. The wind farm has been battling ice problems all winter. David Cousins, the Caribou Wind Park’s site manager, said when ice starts forming . . . Complete story »
The climate changers: How wind turbines make their own clouds
They are billed as vast sentinels that will protect our world from climate change. But, at the same time, these wind turbines are creating a new little climate of their own. The 196ft structures whipped up the sea mist which blankets them in this photograph. The phenomenon is caused by the spinning 130ft blades which churn up the warm air at sea level and mix it with cooler air above at Scroby Sands, near Great Yarmouth in Norfolk. When this . . . Complete story »
Meeting against 80 Cambrian Mountains wind turbines
A group opposed to plans to build up to 80 wind turbines near Aberystwyth have staged a protest meeting. The Cambrian Mountains Society said proposals for a wind farm at Nant y Moch would ruin views from Pumlumon Fawr – the range’s highest peak. The group, which held its meeting in nearby Talybont on Wednesday evening, wants the area protected. The company behind the plans has said the turbines would significantly contribute to renewable energy targets. Following the meeting, BBC . . . Complete story »
The hills are alive (and profitable)
In easels in the theater of the town hall in West Rutland, Vermont, sat 13 photographs of mountains, and Justin Lindholm was eager to show them to me. As if browsing a museum with an expert guide, I proceeded slowly around the cavernous room one night in October as Lindholm, a native Vermonter, identified each ridge and told me what made it special. People in this state, he explained, take their mountains seriously. Lindholm, a 56-year-old retired owner of a . . . Complete story »
