Wind Power News: January 2016
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.
County residents deserve say on wind farm
In The Daily Republic article dated Dec. 31, Jeff Bathke, the Davison County zoning administrator, was interviewed about the zoning issues surrounding the proposed Juhl wind project west of Mitchell. In the article, Bathke confirmed that the Davison County Commissioners have been working on updating the zoning ordinances prior to the Juhl application. Bathke explained the process for developing the wind ordinances, wherein his recommendations would first be presented to the commissioners for their input and changes, then to the . . . Complete story »
Wind energy needs tilted playing field
In his letter “Correcting wind energy errors,” Lethbridge Herald, Jan. 23, the president of the Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA) befuddles his readers with statistics and technical phrases. Only those familiar with the generation and marketing of electricity might be able to detect his “spin” which is required to make wind generation look attractive. He claims that “new wind energy generation is cost competitive,” but his own publication, “Wind Vision 2025” (www.canwea.ca), reveals that “By 2016 the average pool price . . . Complete story »
Maine’s largest solar farm expected to go online in 2016
A wind power project originally proposed for land in Fort Fairfield moved a mile north in its final iteration, on 100 acres of farmland in Limestone. The wind power project is from Shamrock Partners, led by Freeport resident Sue Jones. Jones had proposed and won pilot project approval for the Fort Fairfield site, but that plan was essentially killed, she told the BDN last fall, by an ordinance for wind projects that established a one-mile setback from landowners not involved in the project. That project would receive 8.3 cents per kilowatt hour and still requires a local resolution of support. The project is expected to come online by at least late 2018. Complete story »
Still no sign of road crossing at site of controversial Burnham wind farm
Work on a controversial windfarm continues to progress despite the absence of a promised pedestrian crossing to cope with building material deliveries. Thousands of lorries are expected to make their way along Maldon Road, Southminster Road and Marsh Road, near the site of Ormiston Rivers Academy in Burnham-on-Crouch, to carry materials to Turncole Wind Farm. But a £45,000 pedestrian crossing funded by energy developer RES is yet to be installed as the developer agreed in a £5m contract for the . . . Complete story »
Arkwright wind farm agreement delayed
ARKWRIGHT – A project involving 36 wind turbines planned for the Arkwright Summit Wind Farm will has been delayed. According to Frederic Norton, Arkwright town supervisor, the meeting scheduled for Monday evening, during which officials had hoped to accept the project’s host agreement, was postponed. “On Friday, we received a 47-page statement of findings for the board to adopt, presented by the developers. That’s a lot of pages to read. It took me all weekend just to get through it, . . . Complete story »
Talk of the Times: Applied Materials wind turbine still not spinning
It’s been almost three months since the Applied Materials wind turbine at the company’s Blackburn Industrial Park facility has been turning. The San Jose, California-based company, in response to another query from the Times, stayed on message, saying Friday the stilled turbine simply is “undergoing some maintenance and will resume operating once repairs are complete.” No word though on what those repairs entail or when they might be completed. The turbine, which measures 492 feet when the length of the . . . Complete story »
AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan to fight massive Mid Murray wind farm development in court
AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan has launched court action over the approval of a massive wind farm on the doorstep of his family’s historic Rosebank property, near Mt Pleasant. Mr McLachlan has appealed against the approval of the $700 million wind farm, to feature 114 turbines standing up to 165m high dotted along the ranges between Palmer, Tungkillo and Sanderston. The appeal is listed against wind farm developers Trustpower, the Mid Murray Council, Environment Protection Agency, the Planning Department and . . . Complete story »
Out of control wind turbine closes Oak Creek Rd. in Mojave
MOJAVE, Calif. – An out of control wind turbine has caused a road closure in Mojave. California Highway Patrol crews have shut down Oak Creek Rd on Friday afternoon after they discovered that the wind turbines were having some technical problems. Officials noticed it on Oak Creek Road, located about five miles west of the city of Mojave just before 10 a.m. and are working to fix the problem. The roadway is shut down as a precaution while crews work . . . Complete story »
Bourne plans legal action against South Plymouth turbines
Bourne Town Counsel Robert Troy on Jan. 26 said he would enter Barnstable Superior Court “within days” to initiate legal action that would try to halt turbine construction at Keith Mann’s South Plymouth cranberry tract. Troy’s comment came after selectmen met in executive session to discuss the pending wind farm litigation against the controversial turbines. Troy said future discussion about Bourne legal moves would be consigned to executive sessions with selectmen. “We will be heard in court,” he said. Troy . . . Complete story »
Tompkins committee supports proposed wind farm
Tompkins County lawmakers heard a mix of viewpoints about safety of Enfield’s proposed Black Oak Wind Farm before voting to support the project on Friday night. The proposed wind farm has been mired in controversy after people who live near the site have raised concerns that setbacks would allow turbines too close to their homes. The Tompkins County committee voted unanimously on a resolution supporting timely development of the wind farm. Lawmaker Dooley Kiefer, D-Cayuga Heights, recused herself from the . . . Complete story »
