Wind Power News: June 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.
Town council tables SASS discussions
Town board members decided to revive discussion of the designation, which is administered by the state Department of State, in the hope that it would prevent developer Avangrid Renewables and its subsidiary, Atlantic Wind LLC, from building part of its Horse Creek Wind Farm project within the town. If the department granted the town a designation, development projects that would have relied on state or federal actions, including indirect actions, permits or funds, would have required additional review. Complete story »
What makes people dislike wind? It’s not NIMBY
The “not in my backyard” barrier to wind development has been overstated, and other factors play much more of a role in whether communities support the resource, according to a report from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The report surveys three decades of research on the factors driving pockets of opposition to wind farms and influencing community “acceptance.” In general, 70 to 90 percent of Americans have favorable views of wind power, but local conflicts can develop, researchers said. “The rapid . . . Complete story »
Final RFP: Wind power coming three months earlier
NEW BEDFORD – Massachusetts’ first offshore wind contract should be finalized in July of 2018, three months earlier than originally planned. Three electricity companies issued their final request for proposals Thursday in conjunction with the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources. The RFP sets a shorter timeline and calls for proposals of 400 megawatts of energy generation. It also allows bidders to submit supplementary proposals of 200 to 800 megawatts. The timeline is good news for developers, because it lets them start . . . Complete story »
Water Wells First holds sit-in at MOE office in Windsor
Water Wells First says groundwater and pile driving monitoring promised by the Ministry of Environment is not good enough. The Chatham-Kent group held a two and a half hour sit-in at the MOE office in Windsor late Wednesday afternoon, because it says monitoring stations are too far from the North Kent wind towers. Spokesperson Kevin Jakubec insists the aquifer is being contaminated by wind farm vibrations and he is demanding a public inquiry to either get a proper analysis of . . . Complete story »
Regional energy plan approved by state DPS
BENNINGTON – The county’s regional energy plan is the first of its type to be certified by the state Department of Public Service. Prepared by the Bennington County Regional Commission in partnership with state government departments and businesses in the energy field, the document received DPS approval June 21. The plan constitutes a lengthy amendment to the area’s regional plan. In addition to meeting new requirements under the planning legislation, Act 174, the certification qualifies the BCRC to review and approve . . . Complete story »
Ohio Air National Guard drops wind turbine plans for Camp Perry; birding groups declare victory
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Ohio Air National Guard said today that it disapproves of a plan to build a large wind turbine at Camp Perry, handing birding groups a decision they hailed as “a huge win for migratory birds.” The Black Swamp Bird Observatory, based in Ottawa County, teamed with the American Bird Conservancy in March to file a lawsuit seeking to block construction of the wind turbine, which they criticized as a “lethal bird-killing machine” for bald eagles and . . . Complete story »
Wind farm opponents put case
A wind farm proposed for Porteous Hill, near Blueskin Bay, should not be allowed to go ahead in its present form because of significant adverse effects on its nearest neighbours, the Environment Court has been told. On the first day of a Resource Management Act appeal by Blueskin Energy Ltd against the Dunedin City Council, Judge Jane Borthwick and two commissioners heard legal submissions from lawyers for the parties. They also heard cross-examination of the first witnesses whose written evidence . . . Complete story »
Blittersdorf files petition for Kidder Hill wind; 2 turbines planned for Lowell or Irasburg or both
IRASBURG/LOWELL – Wind developer David Blittersdorf filed a petition Tuesday with the Vermont Public Utilities Commission for a certificate of public good for two industrial-grade wind turbines on his Kidder Hill property. The turbines would have a name-plate capacity for 2.5 megawatts of electricity. He wants to raise the 475-foot-tall turbines on his 645-acre property off Kidder Hill Road that straddles the Irasburg-Lowell line on the Lowell Mountain range. The developer is asking that the Public Utilities Commission accept the petition . . . Complete story »
Energize Vermont’s Mark Whitworth appears before legislative rules committee
Act 174, enacted in 2016, required Vermont’s Public Service Board to develop a new rule for wind turbine siting and operation. The PSB’s proposed rule includes noise limits and a setback of 10 times turbine height. The Legislative Committee on Administrative Rules (LCAR) is evaluating the PSB’s proposal to determine if the rule was developed properly and is consistent with legislative intent. The wind industry doesn’t like the proposed rules and is lobbying LCAR members to reject the rule or . . . Complete story »
Causes of turbine failures remain a mystery
NextEra Energy, owner of the Steele Flats wind farm in southern Nebraska, has suffered at least four wind turbine calamities in recent weeks, including broken blades, a fire and a collapse. Steven Stengel, a spokesman for the Juno Beach, Florida-based energy company, said the incidents are under investigation in cooperation with the turbine manufacturers, but it could be weeks or months before they figure out causes. No injuries were reported because of the failures. “We have roughly 10,000 wind turbines . . . Complete story »
