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Wind Power News: October 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.
Ocean Gate misled on windmill issue
The Ocean Gate windmill folly is an example of small-town politics at its worst. Mayor Paul Kennedy and self-proclaimed windmill advocate Jim Fry conned the Borough Council into approving $250,000 of taxpayer money to buy a windmill. They claimed the windmill would save 80 percent of the electric bill for the municipal building. Since the windmill became operational in November 2009, I have reviewed the actual electric bills. After the first nine months, the total electric bill was $15,582. For . . . Complete story »
Wind turbine noise: noise complaints predictable
Applicants and regulators should have foreseen the negative noise response from neighbors living near wind turbine sites. By their not adequately understanding the sound character generated by wind turbines, appropriate corrections to prevent annoyance were not included in the noise predictions. Wind turbine noise has a unique and visceral sound character, which may be perceived as being twice as loud as measured. Community noise studies have shown that public annoyance increases substantially when there is a noise source with unpredictable . . . Complete story »
Consultant’s work in Litchfield raises questions about conflict; Noise expert’s employer may benefit from wind project
LITCHFIELD – In June, the Litchfield Town Board paid a Barrett Paving Materials geologist $500 to come to a meeting where he suggested the town make changes to a law that would govern wind farm development. The geologist, Brian Milliman, spoke as a private consultant about noise limits for wind turbines and said the town should regulate noise based on decibel measurements rather than distance from homes. The problem? Milliman works for a company that stands to benefit if a wind . . . Complete story »
Judge questions Ecogen, 2009 Prattsburgh town accord
Rochester, NY – Recent court action could greatly affect the future of wind farms in the town of Prattsburgh. State Supreme Court Justice John Ark recently ruled the lame-duck Prattsburgh town board must explain its unusually swift, 3-2 passage of an agreement last December allowing wind developer Ecogen to move ahead immediately without standard town agreements. Ark’s decision gave the board 45 days to submit statements to him, and delays Ecogen’s motion to begin immediate construction of 16 turbines in the . . . Complete story »
Islanders unite over wind farm ‘disaster’
A remote island community has banded together to fight plans for a wind farm overlooking one of Scotland’s most celebrated tourist attractions, the “Bridge over the Atlantic”. Residents on Seil, near Oban, say the development would scar the picturesque landscape, which attracts thousands of tourists each year. The Bridge of Clachan was designed by Thomas Telford and has linked the island to the Scottish mainland since 1792. People Against Clachan Turbines (PACT) is to hold its first meeting on Wednesday . . . Complete story »
Huron County group urges residents to vote against wind energy districts
HURON COUNTY – Residents in four Huron County townships will go to the polls Tuesday to decide the fate of two proposals that would clear the way for future wind farm development in the Thumb. Residents Against Wind, a group of property owners in Huron County, is urging residents to vote “no” on the proposals, which, if passed, will create two wind energy districts. One district would cover Bloomfield, Rubicon and Sigel townships, and the other would cover McKinley township. . . . Complete story »
Wind turbine opponents blast government, industry
PICTON – Opponents of wind turbines are gathering here this weekend to sound the collective alarm about health concerns. The Society for Wind Vigilance is presenting a symposium at the Waring House. The gathering is called Global Wind Industry and Adverse Health Effects: Loss of Social Justice? It began Friday and ends Sunday. Organizer Beth Harrington said Saturday at the event about 110 people – roughly 30 per cent of them local – were registered. She said the international guest speakers include . . . Complete story »
Wind energy producers face wall in moving power east
Iowa energy policymakers know that building the nation’s second-largest wind generating capacity was relatively easy compared with the next step of figuring how to transport surplus electricity to Eastern cities. One thing appears certain: If plans don’t gel relatively soon on ways to move wind energy across state lines, the slowdown in building wind farms in Iowa will turn into a complete halt. “Absolutely, Iowa will see wind energy development stopped if transmission issues aren’t solved,” said Roya Stanley, director . . . Complete story »
Wind farm site plan expected in early ’11
CAPE VINCENT – St. Lawrence Wind Farm developer Acciona Wind Energy USA is predicting an early 2011 submission of the site plan application for the project. “We’ve got some work to do,” said Timothy Q. Conboy, project manager for Acciona. “It would be January at the earliest, or February, before we’d be ready.” The developer first submitted a plan for the wind power project in November 2006, which triggered the state environmental quality review process. That process ended when the town . . . Complete story »
Wind turbines may be coming to Garfield County
ENID – For the last couple of years, workers for TradeWind Energy have been collecting meteorological data and doing field surveys in the hopes of turning land in the northeast part of Garfield County into a full-fledged wind farm. The Chisholm View Wind Project, located in the Hunter and Kremlin area, covers 40,000 acres of leased land. TradeWind Energy, a company out of Lenexa, Kan., which has leased that land, may someday soon build wind turbines there to generate electricity. Joe . . . Complete story »
