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Wind Power News: August 2015
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.
Municipalities may not exercise their powers to frustrate projects granted Renewable Energy Approvals
In a recent decision by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, the court found that the City of Kawartha Lakes had acted outside its jurisdiction and in bad faith when it passed a resolution denying use of a roadway by a wind turbine developer. Wpd Sumac Ridge Wind Inc. (wpd) obtained a Renewable Energy Approval (REA) for the construction of five industrial wind turbines and associated infrastructure in the City. The roadway was the “spine” of the project. Wpd brought an application for . . . Complete story »
Lambton municipalities withhold support from wind projects
Tuesday is the deadline for Ontario’s latest round of large renewable energy contract bids, and three wind turbine projects planned for eastern Lambton County are on the list of registered proposals posted recently by the province’s Independent Electricity System Operator. They include Enerfin’s 100-MW Sydenham Wind Project in Brooke-Alvinston Township, NextEra’s 100-MW Hardy Creek wind project in the townships of Warwick, Brooke-Alvinston, and Adelaide Metcalfe in neighbouring Middlesex County, as well as Suncor’s 75-MW Nauvoo wind project, also set for . . . Complete story »
SunZia transmission line moves forward, holds to original route
LAS CRUCES >> The SunZia power transmission line, planned to carry renewable energy across New Mexico, Arizona and California, appears to be back on its original track following a request by the State Land Office to review a route north of the White Sands Missile Range call-up area. At issue were concerns by Land Commisioner Aubrey Dunn that the proposed northern route would affect the WSMR northern call-up area used for military training and missile testing. The area can be . . . Complete story »
$113m New Bedford marine terminal sits largely idle
The new waterfront terminal in New Bedford was supposed to be teeming with activity by now, a staging ground for a massive wind farm in Nantucket Sound. But with a cancellation of a lease by Cape Wind, the 28-acre site has instead remained largely idle this summer. Efforts by the quasi-public Massachusetts Clean Energy Center to hire a company to position the property for cargo shipping are also taking longer than anticipated. The $113 million terminal was built primarily with . . . Complete story »
Lockport couple seeks to power home with remote wind turbine
LOCKPORT – Douglas and Donna Lee Bailey believe in wind energy, so they intend to power their Town of Lockport home with it. But the wind turbine won’t be built at their Sharon Drive home. Instead, the tower will be erected on a 19-acre vacant field they own several miles away, on Old Saunders Settlement Road. A remote metering plan makes the project possible, said Thomas E. Fleckenstein of Niagara Wind & Solar, the company working with the Baileys. The . . . Complete story »
As wind-turbine farms expand, research shows they could offer diminishing returns
LAWRENCE – Renewable wind energy is experiencing a boom, with more wind turbines popping up across landscapes in the U.S. and abroad. Indeed, wind energy accounted for 3.3 percent of electricity generation in the United States in 2011, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Globally, that number was 2.9 percent for the same year. But as wind turbines proliferate, researchers at the University of Kansas are looking at how these forests of turbines affect the wind itself. What happens to . . . Complete story »
Offshore wind could be a windfall for Hampton Roads
RICHMOND – Dominion’s offshore wind plans could create a big new chunk of the local economy, even making up for Department of Defense cuts, if the project comes to fruition. But that is a very big “if.” The state’s electricity giant has massive decisions to make in the coming years about how it’s going to power the state in the face of new federal rules on carbon production. In many ways, its proposed wind farm off the coast of Virginia Beach . . . Complete story »
Hillier backs battle against wind project
The Association to Protect Amherst Island (APAI) is fighting back against the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change. The ministry announced Aug. 24 that the Amherst Island Wind Energy Project received renewable energy approval with more than two dozen conditions. The project, to be build by Windlectric Inc., is to include up to 26 wind turbine generators and one substation transformer. “This is a landmark decision that ignores the importance of biodiversity and shames both Canada and Ontario,” a release . . . Complete story »
Multi-million dollar windfarm in central west could disrupt some residents, report says
Multi-million dollar plans for a windfarm in the region’s south are expected to interfere with television reception and cause so-called shadow flicker. An Environmental Impact Statement for the Biala Wind Farm has been put on public exhibition. The company, Newtricity, wants to build 31 turbines and other infrastructure on a 19-hundred hectare site in the Upper Lachlan Shire. The EIS has found the project will not adversely threaten flora or fauna and is likely to generate around 70 million dollars . . . Complete story »
Wind opposition fuels GOP challenges in Yates
LYNDONVILLE – Three opponents of the proposed Lighthouse Wind energy project are seeking Yates town offices. John Riggi, a leader of Save Ontario Shores, and Valerie Pratt are seeking the Republican ballot line in the contest to fill a town board seat. They’re in a Sept. 10 primary contest with incumbent board member Wesley R. Bradley. Two board seats are to be filled in the November election. Lighthouse Wind opponent Jim Simon is battling incumbent Yates Supervisor John Belson for the . . . Complete story »