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Wind Power News: January 2017
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.
Maine DEP marches toward rulemaking on its wind energy standards rule
Expecting to initiate a formal rulemaking in March of this year, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) invited final public comment on its pre-rulemaking draft Wind Energy Standards rule at a workshop held on January 27, 2017 in Farmington. The Wind Energy Standards rule will address certain standards in the Wind Energy Act that are not addressed in current DEP rules. DEP held a similar workshop and received written comments during the summer of 2016 on the initial draft . . . Complete story »
Wind turbine project entering new phase
With things rolling along for Iowa County’s wind turbine project and response being generally positive, the project is about to enter a new phase. Mark Zaccone, representing Invenergy, told the Iowa County Board of Supervisors Friday, Jan. 27, that this phase calls for the company to slow down on generating land and to begin long-term studies. These include engineering and transmission studies, as well as marketing the project. In doing so, Invenergy will be pulling its Iowa County land agents, . . . Complete story »
Some North Carolina legislators oppose wind farm project, say it poses security threat
ELIZABETH CITY – In the next few days, the last of an array of 104 wind turbines is expected to be hooked into the electrical grid, and North Carolina’s largest wind farm – one of the biggest in the nation – will be complete. But even as it is about to reach full power, a group of powerful North Carolina legislators are trying to shut it down. The ten legislators have written a letter to the Trump Administration, raising concerns that the $400 . . . Complete story »
The Kafkaesque world of windmill neighbors
The definition of “Kafkaesque”: “Describing something that is horribly complicated for no reason, usually in reference to bureaucracy.” Neighbors of operating and proposed wind projects are watching in disbelief as they witness the Public Service Board (PSB) issue Orders affirming the rights of the wind industry while putting neighbors through expensive, time-consuming legal processes that tramples neighbors’ rights and provide no relief. Paul Brouha of Sutton lives 6,385 feet from the nearest turbine in the Sheffield Wind plant. He filed . . . Complete story »
Details on Otter Creek wind project
Details regarding the proposed Otter Creek Wind Farm are being released as Boralex Inc. prepares to submit their REA application. A second public meeting was held in Wallaceburg Monday night to go over project details. Director of Project Development Adam Rosso says since the first public meeting a few changes had been made. First, the number of proposed wind turbines has dropped from about 17 to 12. “As a result of that decision we believe that having larger, taller turbines . . . Complete story »
Turbine “cronyism” saga to finally end with vote at public meeting
A final decision on proposals to build a wind turbine at the heart of a political “cronyism” row is expected this week. Turriff councillor Sandy Duncan first lodged proposals to build the 150ft structure on his land at Beechwood near Forglen three years ago and has already had planning permission withdrawn twice. The project was stalled by a legal challenge at the Court of Session last year, prior to Mr Duncan being accused of “cronyism” because he called on fellow . . . Complete story »
An aging Maine power plant and nearby battery illuminate New England’s energy challenges
The situation is apparent from the types of energy generators asking ISO-New England for permission to connect to the grid. About half are powered by natural gas. A little less than half are powered by wind, where the stakes are high for Maine. On land, 97 percent of that wind power is proposed for Maine, which still requires significant power line improvements to get electricity from wind-rich areas to population centers. The same goes for getting Canadian hydropower into the New England system. Complete story »
Wind contract looms large as Missouri weighs Clean Line project
A public power agency representing dozens of small Missouri cities has signed on as the initial customer for a planned wind farm in Kansas that would supply energy through the proposed Grain Belt Express Clean Line transmission project. The 20-year power purchase agreement is for 100 to 300 megawatts of wind energy to be supplied by Infinity Wind Power’s Iron Star wind project in southwest Kansas to cities that belong to the Missouri Joint Municipal Electric Utility Commission (MJMEUC) beginning . . . Complete story »
Town writes to governor about wind; Interim zoning administrator hired
SWANTON – The Swanton Town Selectboard discussed next steps in its fight against Swanton Wind at its Jan. 17 meeting. The selectboard also appointed an interim zoning administrator, after the resignation of former zoning administrator Darlene Marrier. The Town of Swanton is reaching out for state support while continuing its fight against the construction of Swanton Wind. The selectboard has prepared a letter to Governor Phil Scott, asking if the governor plans to implement his campaign promise to ban ridgeline wind . . . Complete story »
Wind turbines present many reasons for concern in North Country
There are many reasons to be concerned about wind turbines. Many times larger than anything known to our area, the proposed massive turbine engines atop wind towers would dwarf any buildings, towers, trees or structures in the Northern Adirondack foothills and Seaway Valley. Wind Turbines do fail and break, traveling much farther than so-called “safety” zones or setbacks. Each turbine would produce 3 Million Watts, multiplied by 40 initial turbines, that’s 120 Million Watts of electromagnetic cancer-causing radiation traveling through . . . Complete story »
