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.
Navajo County permits wind farms
HOLBROOK – Navajo County finally has an ordinance regulating wind energy generation facilities. An amendment to the county’s zoning ordinance regarding the facilities was passed with a few changes after a public hearing that lasted about 3 1/2 hours at supervisors’ Oct. 26 meeting. That might seem like the final step in the process but supervisors were told by one of the wind farm opponents that the supervisors haven’t heard the last from them. Before the meeting, at least one person . . . Complete story »
Martin wants public engaged in wind farm proposals
Massive wind energy developments shouldn’t be established without planning and consultation by those the farms could affect, said Sault MP Tony Martin. Martin has developed a wind energy strategy that he believes would serve areas communities and address citizens’ concerns. “I am not opposed to renewables. We have to go there and need to go there to generate energy in the future and wind is a major part of that but we need to avoid development with little planning or . . . Complete story »
Oil lobby in legal threat to North Sea wind farms
The British oil industry has threatened to take legal action to defend its interests in the North Sea against offshore wind farm developers. Dozens of giant offshore wind projects are being planned, mostly in the North Sea, and many will encroach on areas licensed for oil exploration and production. One wind farm developer told the Observer that conflict between the two industries looks likely. The warning over legal action came from trade body Oil and Gas UK. The government is . . . Complete story »
Windfarms moving inland
Surveys have begun to find suitable sites for windfarms away from coastal areas and islands. With the fast development of the technology of wind power generation, new opportunities and new locations are opening up. Alliances of local government that have banned together to cooperate in regional economic development are looking for sites that are not only windy enough, but also where operations will not disturb local residents and where the environment would not be unduly harmed. Currently, the focus is . . . Complete story »
Increasing wind turbine turn-on speeds could help reduce bat deaths, new study says
DENVER – Bad news for bats: Mother Nature is not the only thing wiping them out. Anthropogenic climate change and renewable energy technology are also wreaking havoc on bat populations throughout North America. Biologists are looking for ways to protect bats not only from a devastating fungus, but from wind turbines and global warming. Warmer temperatures and drought brought on by climate change could disrupt migration and mating patterns, researchers said this week at the North American Society for Bat Research . . . Complete story »
UI seeks proposals for wind turbine
URBANA – The University of Illinois is moving forward with its plans to install a wind turbine on campus. Earlier this week the administration issued a request for proposals from companies interested in selling one to three turbines and possibly installing and connecting them to the UI’s electrical grid. The timeline for the project, budgeted at $4.5 million, calls for the turbine to be up and running by the end of May 2011. A minimum 1.5 megawatt turbine is proposed . . . Complete story »
Green Berkshires head: Wind energy shouldn’t be top priority
PITTSFIELD – The head of the Green Berkshires environmental advocacy group says wind turbines shouldn’t be at the forefront of the renewable energy portfolio in the county. “We should think of wind turbines as the last thing, not the first thing,” Eleanor Tillinghast told an audience of more than 50 students and residents at a forum at Berkshire Community College on Tuesday. Tillinghast is the executive director of Green Berkshires, an environmental research and advocacy nonprofit that encourages public awareness of . . . Complete story »
Spruce Mountain group appeals wind farm permit
WOODSTOCK – The Woodstock-based Friends of Spruce Mountain will appeal a land-use permit from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection allowing wind energy development. Portland attorney Rufus Brown, who represents the nonprofit group, said he will file an appeal to the DEP on Wednesday, Nov. 3. Brown said noise is his main concern. Opponents to wind projects point to Wind Turbine Syndrome, coined by a New York behavioral pediatrician to describe a series of symptoms found among people living near wind . . . Complete story »
Cape Wind foe sues state over documents
The main opponent of the proposed Cape Wind project filed a lawsuit yesterday claiming the Patrick administration is refusing to release key documents. In the suit filed just four days before Tuesday’s election, the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound demanded that the administration “immediately and fully comply” with its request last April for internal documents about how state and federal officials approved the proposal to set up 130 wind turbines on Nantucket Sound. The alliance, which has filed a number . . . Complete story »
Google’s wind-power grid would benefit from disputed U.S. rule
A U.S. proposal that may improve prospects for a $5 billion undersea wind-power grid backed by Google Inc. is sparking a fight between utilities and companies developing renewable energy. The regulation drafted by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is aimed at spreading costs for transporting alternative power. Utilities such as Southern Co. say that may be a bad deal for their customers. The head of the regulatory agency says it would help make wind and solar energy competitive with coal . . . Complete story »
