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Wind Power News: December 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.
Some property owners oppose plan for new wind farm in Sumner County
Supports say plans to put dozens of wind turbines on farmland in north central Sumner County will be great for the county’s finances. Opponents say that doesn’t take health and environment effects into account, let alone how the tall wind turbines will look and sound. Beverly Haines, who lives in the middle of rural Sumner County where the company, Invenergy, wants to build dozens of wind turbines, says she likes the idea. “I think they’re really cool,” she says of . . . Complete story »
Wind turbines spin to life
In 2016, wind power became a reality in northeastern North Carolina. This month, the Amazon Wind Farm US East spun to life in Pasquotank and Perquimans counties, where 104 turbines, each almost 500 feet tall, rose up west of the U.S. Highway 17 North Bypass. The wind energy facility has brought new jobs and major investment to the area. In years to come, it’s also projected to become the single largest property taxpayer in both counties. But wind power has . . . Complete story »
Antrim wind project prevails
After a seven-year fight for approval, state regulators approved a nine turbine wind project in Antrim. Those in favor of the project view the ruling handed down by the state’s Site Evaluation Committee, or SEC, as a victory after years worth of discussion. A similar 10-turbine project was struck down by the same committee, which is now made up of an entirely new set of members, years ago due to the project’s visual impacts. Antrim Wind Energy, whose parent company . . . Complete story »
Lyon County Commission approves zoning change for wind energy progect
The potential wind energy project near Reading took a step forward today. During an action session for the Lyon County Commission, commissioners voted 3-0 to approve a zoning request from Reading Wind Energy, LLC, to change 16,723 acres to agriculture conditional use. The vote allows wind energy developer RES Americas to move forward. Commissioners voted to approve the zoning change with the following conditions: ^ The conditional-use permit must be refreshed or renewed if construction has not started by Dec. . . . Complete story »
Green Mountain Republicans?
The result of the presidential election left my mom groaning on the floor, and made my Dad feel like, “an old Vermonter holed up in liberal Vermont.” To an outsider, a Republican governor in Vermont might look like an identity crisis. For me, a born-and-bred Vermonter, my vote for a Republican governor was a vote against multinational wind power on Vermont public land. During his campaign, Governor-elect Phil Scott said he was in favor of a complete ban of ridgeline . . . Complete story »
Sweden denies permit for $7.4B offshore wind farm because the project would interfere with its military
Sweden denied permission for developers to build the Blekinge offshore wind project, saying it would interfere with the Nordic nation’s army. The project was planned to have 500 to 700 turbines. This would have resulted an installed capacity of about 2.5 gigawatts and investment valued at 50 billion kronor (CAD$7.4 billion), according to an e-mail from majority owner Eolus Vind AB. The project company, Blekinge Offshore AB, is owned by Swedish developers. Hassleholm-based Eolus has 56 per cent, Vingkraft AB . . . Complete story »
Wind farm link to grid complete
MALONE – The New York Power Authority announced on Thursday that work was completed on a substation in Chateaugay that will transfer energy from the Jericho Rise Wind Farm to the New York power grid. The Willis substation in Chateaugay will help send 77.7 megawatts of renewable energy from the Jericho Rise Wind farm to the state power grid. The wind farm, located in the towns of Chateaugay and Belmont, is owned by EDP Renewables North America LLC. NYPA energized the . . . Complete story »
Wind project alarms group; Save Our Allegheny Ridges opposes latest attempt on Shaffer Mountain
A group that opposes mountaintop wind farms has raised alarms on a new project near the Bedford-Somerset county line, although details on the project remain scarce. Save Our Allegheny Ridges, a group that opposes energy development on forested mountaintops, said in a news release that Chicago-based Invenergy plans to install a series of wind turbines atop Shaffer Mountain in Somerset County. While there are indications Invenergy is moving to develop the area – part of a high ridge that divides river . . . Complete story »
Residents file cross petition in wind case
A group of nine individuals have petitioned a local court to upload a Perquimans County decision to deny a permit for the Timbermill Wind project. The cross petition was filed on Dec. 21. In it, attorney Chad Essick also questioned the handling of the Conditional Use Permit (CUP) hearings and the vote to recuse Commissioner Matt Peeler. A 3-2 majority of the board voted to prevent Peeler from voting on the CUP application based in part on a series of . . . Complete story »
Kidder Hill wind: Blittersdorf wind hedge pits Lowell against Irasburg
David Blittersdorf is hedging his bet. He’d like to put up two industrial-sized wind turbines on his Kidder Hill property in the town of Irasburg, where he has a cabin. He’d like to pay taxes on the turbines to Irasburg and he’d like to share the benefits of the wind energy with some of his neighbors. But if that doesn’t work out, he’ll put the turbines in Lowell instead. His 560 acres straddles the Irasburg-Lowell town line. And if the . . . Complete story »
