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Wind Power News: August 2014
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.
Cavernous Swiss power plant undermined by renewable energy
Like their EU peers, Swiss utilities have called for a cut in wind and solar power subsidies. The Swiss association of power producers VSE is calling for a mechanism that would pay pumped storage plant operators for the back-up they provide. "We would favour a market-based system with different capacity prices per week," VSE president Kurt Rohrbach said. The argument is that profitable or not, pumped storage plants are essential for balancing power supply grids, which can suffer blackouts if supply and demand do not match. Only pumped storage plants can suck up excess electricity and then release it again within minutes. Complete story »
Developer requests extension for wind farm near The Dalles
THE DALLES, Ore. – Developers seeking to build the Summit Ridge Wind Farm near The Dalles are asking to shrink and delay their project. The Oregon Department of Energy said Friday it will take public comments on the proposal until Sept. 19. LotusWorks, an Irish company, is asking to extend an Aug. 19 deadline to begin construction by two years. It’s also asking to reduce the maximum number of wind turbines from 87 to 72, reduce the peak generating capacity, and . . . Complete story »
Wind suits dismissed
PAWHUSKA – A district court judge dismissed two of three Osage County wind energy lawsuits Thursday, while clearing the way for continued development of a previously-approved turbine facility upon a solemn stretch of tallgrass prairie 15 miles west of Pawhuska. Osage Wind is a 94-turbine project currently under construction between Pawhuska and Ponca City along U.S. Highway 60 near Burbank. Owned by Lenexa-Kan.-based TradeWind Energy, it would be the first wind-energy facility in the eastern half of Oklahoma. Thus far, access . . . Complete story »
Wind mast bid refused
Plans for an 80-metre high wind speed monitoring mast on Kirkdale Hill, Carsluith which would have paved the way for a wind farm have been refused. Ecotricity (Next Generation Ltd) had hoped for permission to erect the mast, anchored by seven wire guys, just 1.5km from the A75, which had been recommended for approval by planners. But with 62 objections, the case went before Dumfries and Galloway Council’s planning committee on Wednesday who decided the site was too important – . . . Complete story »
Wind energy plant proposed in Potter County
A second large-scale wind energy electricity generating plant has been proposed for Potter County, but it is evidently on hold. More than seven years after international energy giant AES Corporation laid the groundwork for a series of wind turbines in Ulysses and Hector townships, but did not move forward with its Fox Hill project, another company has contacted local officials in northern Potter County. The latest plan involves erecting turbines connected to the electrical grid across a wide expanse of . . . Complete story »
High Court rules on compensation for noise from wind turbines
Background Depending on their location, wind turbines can cause noise, visual interference and light reflections. These issues are governed by public and private law, including neighbour law. The main rules regarding noise from wind turbines can be found in Executive Order 1284 of December 15 2011 on wind turbine noise, issued pursuant to the Environmental Protection Act. To some extent, the order safeguards neighbours from noise inconvenience by establishing maximum noise levels from wind turbines in outdoor areas. The noise limit . . . Complete story »
Garden residents seek zoning amendment for wind turbines
GARDEN – The Delta County Planning Commission will address a petition calling for the amendment of the county’s zoning ordinance for wind turbines at a meeting Tuesday. A wind farm has been running on the Garden Peninsula for about two years, and Fred Bates, Concerned Citizens of Garden and Cooks, LLC Chairman of the Executive Committee, said that it’s caused problems in the area ever since. The turbines are noisy, kill wildlife, and reduce property values, according to Bates. However, . . . Complete story »
Protesters turn their anger towards local politicians
Anger is intensifying in north Kerry over the last elected council’s designation of the region as an area of little or no scenic value in a move that opens the plain wide for windfarm development. Over 160 Finuge locals who are against a plan by Stacks Mountain Windfarm Ltd to erect the ten tallest turbines in Ireland in the community packed out Dromclough National School at a public meeting on Thursday night. It was the latest meeting to be held . . . Complete story »
County wind committee ready to call it a day
BAD AXE – The county’s wind energy zoning subcommittee has achieved its purpose and will be terminated, Commissioner David Peruski said this week. After choosing to pay $10,500 to a Grand Rapids-based acoustics firm to help revise Huron County’s wind ordinance – specifically areas related to sound and noise levels of wind turbines – Peruski said the ad-hoc committee will likely have a recap meeting and submit final results to planners and commissioners. “We’ll let (Acoustics by Design) do their work,” Peruski said. . . . Complete story »
Wind farm company withdraws application to access land for survey work
The company developing Triton Knoll offshore wind farm has withdrawn an application to access land for survey work. RWE Innogy UK made the decision after a bid to carry out the survey for the project in the Orby area looked set to be refused. The company was seeking compulsory access to private land to assess its suitability for work in connection with the scheme. The development could include installing underground cables, construction of an electrical compound and landscaping to reduce . . . Complete story »
