Wind Power News: Brazil
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch 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.
Brazil faces dilemma: endangered macaw vs. wind farm
A wind farm in northeastern Brazil sounds like a welcome climate-friendly energy solution, but it is causing controversy over another kind of environmental worry: the impact on the endangered Lear’s macaw. Home to more than 90 percent of Brazil’s booming wind-power industry, the northeast is known for strong, steady winds that President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva wants to harness to power a green-energy revolution. The region has drawn the interest of French renewable energy company Voltalia, which broke ground . . . Complete story »
Brazilian court suspends Voltalia wind project over endangered parrot
A court has suspended environmental licenses granted to Voltalia’s 407.4MW Canudos wind complex in the northern state of Bahia over concerns that the project would impact the endangered Lear’s Macaw. Voltalia is currently building the Canudos 1 & 2 wind farms with 99.4MW of capacity. The suspension will remain in place until a new environmental impact study is presented and approved by the relevant authorities, prosecutors said. Federal and state prosecutors sought the suspension after local farming communities warned about . . . Complete story »
Two dead after wind blade truck overturns in South America
The people who died were in one of two pickups which were impacted by the truck, Brazil’s Federal Highway Police said. The accident occurred at 5pm on 9 November near the city of Petrolina. The people in the other pickup involved were not injured. Breathalyzer tests carried out on the drivers of both the pickup and the truck showed no signs of alcohol consumption, police said. GE confirmed to Windpower Monthly that the truck was carrying a blade to Neoenergia’s . . . Complete story »
Wind farms in Brazil are encroaching on traditional community land
Government-backed wind farms have expanded in the northeastern state of Bahia, but face disputes with communities farming on commons pastureland. Its energy is known for being clean, but its rapid expansion across Brazil’s Northeast region has not been so polished. In the state of Bahia, the country’s leader in wind generation, communities in at least 11 municipalities are experiencing conflicts with companies in the sector, some of which have been involved in disputes for more than a decade. Some 248 . . . Complete story »
Turbines in their backyard: How a wind farm disrupted life in a Brazilian town
[Leia em portugues: Entenda por que os parques de energia eólica estão piorando a vida das famílias de agricultores no agreste] Imagine a noise similar to an airplane flying over your house at a low altitude. This is what residents of Sítio Sobradinho, a community of Caetés city, a rural area of Brazil’s Pernambuco state, hear all day. Since 2015, after Cubico Sustainable Investments, a British renewable energy company, built a wind farm in the area, the families living there . . . Complete story »
Entenda por que os parques de energia eólica estão piorando a vida das famílias de agricultores no agreste
[Read in English: Turbines in their backyard: How a wind farm disrupted life in a Brazilian town] Imagine ouvir durante todo o dia um ruído que lembra o de um avião sobrevoando a sua casa em uma altura relativamente baixa. É essa a realidade dos moradores do Sítio Sobradinho, localizado no município de Caetés, no Agreste de Pernambuco. Desde 2015, após a instalação de um parque eólico da empresa Cubico Sustainable Investments na região, as famílias de pequenos agricultores tiveram . . . Complete story »
Siemens Gamesa turbine collapses at Neoenergia wind farm in Brazil
One of Siemens Gamesa’s G90-2.0 turbines collapsed at the Arizona I wind farm at the weekend [rest of article available at source] Complete story »
Lear’s macaws threatened by planned wind farm in Brazil, experts warn
French renewable energy developer Voltalia plans to install 81 wind turbines in Brazil’s Bahia state, in an area that’s also the main refuge of the endangered Lear’s macaw (Anodorhynchus leari). Conservationists warn that the birds may collide with the turbines, especially because they fly at dawn and dusk, when visibility is poor. Fewer than 1,500 Lear’s macaws remain in the area; the species also suffers as a result of trafficking for the illegal pet trade. Voltalia says it is taking . . . Complete story »
Usina eólica no Piauí vê peças despencarem de turbina; fabricante investiga caso
Um parque eólico operado pela elétrica Omega Geração no Piauí teve uma de suas turbinas danificadas no domingo, quando peças da máquina despencaram de uma altura de quase 100 metros. O incidente não deixou feridos, mas exigiu a paralisação da operação do aerogerador, fabricado pela espanhola Gamesa, informou a Omega em comunicado nesta segunda-feira, após questionamentos da Reuters. Imagens que circularam por redes sociais mostram que a torre da turbina permaneceu no lugar, enquanto partes do equipamento, como pás e . . . Complete story »
Worker hurt after fifth GE wind turbine collapse this year
General Electric faces new questions over the safety of its wind turbines after the fifth collapse this year left a worker injured in Brazil. The worker is being treated for injuries after the incident at the Delta 6 wind farm operated by Omega Energia in Maranhao state. A GE statement sent to Recharge said: “On 3 September, a GE turbine collapsed at the Delta 6 wind park, located at Paulino Neves, Maranhao. “During the collapse, three GE employees were at . . . Complete story »
